Hogle Zoo

We went to Hogle Zoo on the perfect day this year. It was overcast and a little cool, so most of the animals were on the prowl instead of just under a tree asleep. Our kids love to LOOK at animals, so long as they are on the OTHER side of the fence from them. We all love the zoo. The dinosaur exhibits were a great addition, especially for our dinosaur-loving Preston.

Adelyn wanted to practice riding "side-saddle." She is such a free-spirited, artistic little girl.

I was glad to catch a good picture of Annalise's beautiful complexion and profile.

We were so lucky to have Amber, Ryan's sister, come along. She loves our kids and is so sweet to them.

The clan waiting for the elephant show to start. I love all my kids' expressions in this one!

Cute little Preston laying on a lion.

It looks like Adelyn is challenging this T-rex in a "fiercest dinosaur contest."

Ryan's just checking to make sure Rex has good dental hygiene.

Our baby dinosaur himself ready to hatch.

Sleeping Beauty Ballet

Adelyn's ballet company performed the full-length ballet "Sleeping Beauty" this year, and it was absolutely AMAZING--the costumes, the music, the choreography, but especially the little dancers.

Adelyn and her fellow lilac fairies: Ruby, Chloe, Anika, Kenya, Hannah, Camille, and Macy. I got to be a class mom this year, so I helped the little girls get all ready and prepared for their performance. They did such a great job!

Adelyn with her partner Macy.

Bourré turn

Adelyn got to lead--or in this case pull--the other girls off stage at the end of the dance.

This was our attempt to keep the girls entertained while we waited for the final curtain call.

Our beautiful ballerina

Proud parents

A darling picture of Addie with her Daddy.

Adelyn had lots of good support this year. Both parents, both grandmas, both grandpas, and even Auntie Amber came to see her perform. What a cherished little girl!

WBR 2011

Ryan and I decided last minute to jump on a team and run Wasatch Back Relay this year. Ken Garff (the car dealership chain) sponsors a corporate team every year and they were short a few runners, so my friend from work recruited us to join their team ("The Blazing Saddles"). The relay is 191 miles (split between 12 runners) from Logan to Park City that takes about 24 hours. This year was especially beautiful because we've had so much rain in Utah. The weather was awesome, not as hot as in years past. I was Runner #1 and I handed off to Ryan. We had such a great time running our guts out, cheering our team on, and trying to recover to do it all again. Run, eat, sleep (yeah right), repeat. Sounds fun, huh!

Ryan tearing up the pavement.

We found a beautiful little meadow at the top of Avon Pass to take a few pictures. Ryan didn't get any decent pictures of me running, so you'll just have to take my word that I was actually on the team. I ran 20 miles overall, which was great training for my marathon.

Jason was our team captain. He is the VP of Sales at Ken Garff. He is quite competitive, so he kept us on our game and took good care of us.

This is Dan, Jason, and Mark from our team. We didn't know any of them before the race, but you become quickly acquainted after being in a van together for 24 hours. It was fun to get to know everyone.

One of the nighttime exchanges. You gotta love all the reflective vests! The night runs are what make you feel like you are really doing something insane. After only 3 hours of sleep, wearing head lamps and reflective vests, you run from one little town to another in the pitch black night. The race was such a fun experience and it is always a great feeling of accomplishment to be done.

Happy Birthday to Me

I've never been one to be too picky about my birthday. Being the youngest of ten kids, I was lucky if I got a cake! But Ryan has always tried to make the day super special. Unfortunately, he had to work most of the day. So I was stuck waking up to a sick baby covered in throw-up. Boy was I thrilled!! But the day got progressively better and Ryan surprised me with a cake, flowers, balloons, and a card when he came home. Then we went out to the Hale Center Theater and saw "Seussical, the Musical." It was the most hilarious and entertaining play I have EVER seen! It was a very fun night.

Joy School Graduation

This is my newest graduate. Preston graduated from Joy School at the end of May (yes, I am that far behind). We had a little program for the kids and watched a slideshow one of the moms put together. Don't you just love their little hats?! We made them ourselves (obviously).

Preston was pretty proud of his diploma.

Cute little Vaughan

Precious Gordon

Thomas with his mom, Miranda. Tom was such a little cutie. He loved all of our stuffed animals and would always be carrying one around when he was over at my house.

Kirsten with her mom, Rita. We were so grateful to have a girl to mix things up a bit and play with Barbies with Adelyn during playtime.

Preston's best friend, Stanley, with his mom Julie. We are so grateful to have them just across the street. The boys play together any chance they get.

Because Adelyn had afternoon kindergarten, she got to participate in Joy School with Preston. She was always a big help. She LOVES crafts and is always very meticulous when we do our art projects at Joy School. She would even sacrifice some of playtime to finish up her masterpieces.

The last day that I hosted Joy School, we made a class mural with each child coloring one section. The year went by so fast. I will miss having these darling little kids over.

Heber Valley Camp 2011

For five years running, my family has spent Memorial Day weekend up in Heber camping and spending quality time together. This year was EXTREMELY cold, but we had a blast as usual. My sister-in-law Alison was in charge of planning it this year, and she did such a great job. The kids made friendship bracelets, necklace pendants, and fossils. My brother also brought a projector up and the kids got to watch a movie on the big screen in the mountains! The adults played Balderdash (I WON! which doesn't happen much anymore), made food and had a great time catching up with each other. I stayed up until 2:ooam talking to my sister; it was like a sleepover. :)

Adelyn and Dayah were snow sisters.

The kids played in the snow A LOT since our campsite was almost completely covered in snow. They went on snow adventures, built a fort and dug out our fire pit.

Adelyn was one of the first ones in our group to try the big swing at the challenge course. Some of her younger cousins only went half-way up. When she and Dayah saw them, they looked at each other and said at the same time, "We're going to the TOP!!" It was hilarious. Addie is definitely brave.

I went after Adelyn. I am an adrenaline junky and it even gave me butterflies.

My niece Sharli.

The best picture EVER!! I love my dad's face in it. He is quite adventurous.

And incidentally, so is my grandpa. 95-years old and still swinging from trees.

Elanor was one of the youngest to try the big swing. She is my niece Cami's oldest child (yes, I am a great-aunt). Look at those precious eyes.

The horse power behind the swing. This line of people pulled everyone up so fast, we nearly got whiplash.

My parents: where it all began. After 10 kids, 39 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren, they are still young and happy.

Our little family, minus Preston.

Hey there, handsome.

The snow didn't slow this little one down at all. She refused to keep her coat or gloves on. I would often catch her kissing her little cold fingers so they'd feel better.

My brother Doug and his cute boys, Ethan and Porter.

Preston played in this HUGE sandbox while everyone went out on the lake. He's more of a land animal, and he LOVES trucks.

These little monkeys were nearly inseparable at the campout. They had so much fun together playing, doing crafts and going on adventures. Adelyn loves her cousin Dayah.