Top Of Utah Half Marathon 2009

I decided this spring to train for the Top of Utah Half Marathon. It was a great goal that kept me motivated through the summer. I did it two years ago, but I speed-walked it. This time I wanted to run it. It went really well. There were plenty of people ahead of me, but I wasn't last either! I finished it in 2 hours and 28 minutes.

Excuse the picture, how good can you look with no make up after you've run 13.1 miles?!?!

Jake's a Scout!

I was finally released after four years of being in the scouts just one week before Jacob became a scout! Didn't even get the chance to miss one Pack Meeting. But we are so excited for Jake! He's going to have lots of fun with it. Here are a couple of pictures from his first Pack Meeting.

Too Sweet!

We are having bed dilemmas around our house. The little girls have had a hard time going to sleep without us in the room. Jake is going through a "scared of the dark" phase, and is very aware that he's the only one in the house that doesn't get to share a room (I'm sure that will all change in a couple of years;)). So we have tried all kind of configurations and beds to make things work. I'm not sure why we have a house with 5 bedrooms, when 3 would have done just fine! Anyway, one of our phases was to have Jake sleep next to Kali in a full sized bed. After the first night, Jake came into me and said, "Mom! It worked great! Kali didn't crowd me at all. She stayed on her own side!" Little did he know that I took this picture the same night... Gotta love it!

Sabrina's First Day of School

Sabrina's Kindergarten started a week after the older kids. It was a VERY long week to have to wait. She was so excited! Both Arianna and Jake have had her teacher, Mrs. Allgood, so Sabrina was already familiar with her. She couldn't be happier!

SABRINA ASKED FOR TWO WEEKS BEFORE SCHOOL IF SHE COULD WEAR HER NEW SCHOOL CLOTHES. TODAY WAS FINALLY THE DAY!!

SABRINA AND HER GOOD FRIEND CHARLY

KINDERGARTNERS GET TO GET ON THE BUS FIRST!

I followed her to school (a little overprotective - I know). This was the picture of her jumping off the bus. She loves finally being able to ride the bus with Ari and Jake!

Mom! Come see what we did!

My four oldest called me from the front room. They had all been chatting and laughing in there, but I hadn't been paying attention to what they were doing. I went in to find them all in a square. Kali followed me in and immediately placed herself with the group. Nothing brings me more joy in the life than seeing my kids playing together!

Grandma Mann's 80th Birthday!!!

The weekend of August 23 we had a huge Mann family party to celebrate Grandma Mann's (Rory's Mom) birthday. It turned into a big reunion. Uncle Blaine and Aunt Necha generously volunteered to let us all crash in their back yard. A couple of us brought trailers, and Blaine's house was filled to the rafters with people. We had fun getting to know cousins again. They came from Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Idaho, and Washington! The heat was crazy hot, but we enjoyed good food, fun games, and great company. There were lots of pictures taken and lots of memories made. A special thanks to Necha and Blaine for feeding all of us and for all the work that went into it! And Grandma Mann, thanks for making this all possible. You should be proud of all of that chaos you started. We love you dearly and are so grateful for your quiet influence. Happy 80th Birthday, Grandma!!!

The kids had a blast with the Pinata! Sabrina even wore part of it on her head!

We were fighting the heat by reading books, eating popsicles, and making birthday cards for Grandma in the shade.

Grandma and her good friend Lester

Beating the heat with a cold drink and a good book!

Spending time with cousins

Playing horseshoes

A little crazy time in the trailer!

You can't have a birthday party without the cake a candles! Rory said it looks like a bonfire!

Here are 3 of Rory's 5 siblings with Mom. Cindy, Rory, Mom, Blaine, & Wendy

First Day of School 2009

Jake, Miranda, and Arianna started school today. They were all SO excited to get back to school.

Miranda started Middle School this year at Willow Valley. She was quite aprehensive about doing all the different classes and lockers. But we went a few times and walked through her schedule and the locker was a breeze! The only downside to moving on to middle school is having to be at the bus stop by 6:30 A.M.!

Best Buddies!

Arianna started 4th grade. She has a Mrs. Clawson. This was her only apprehension to starting school, but after meeting her at back to school night Arianna is ready to go!

Jacob moved on to the 2nd grade. Ms. Yeates will be his teacher this year. Since Arianna had her two years ago, he felt pretty confident. I think he was just ready to be back in school - summer was starting to get boring.

Jake and his good friend Thatcher

The benefit of having the bus stop at your house is getting to be first in line!

Precious Moments

I love those priceless moments that you wish you could remember forever. This was one of those...

It's Great to be Eight

This year Jacob had a momentous birthday. Not only did he turn 8, but he was baptized, became a scout and got to have a birthday party with friends. He invited Thatcher, Robert, Zane, John, Macey, Anna, and Lauren. Here is a little of the fun they had...

THEY MADE FOAMANATORS

PLAYED FREEZE TAG IN THE SPRINKLERS

HAD A WATER CATCHING RELAY

DRIP, DRIP, DRENCH

COLLECTED ICE CUBES WITH THEIR TOES

AND OF COURSE, OPENED PRESENTS

AND ATE CAKE!!!

Jacob we are so proud of you! You have learned and grown so much this year! Jake has such an amazing mind. He was looking at our clock that has Roman Numerals. Just from looking at it he figured out how the Roman Numeral system works. He can add and subtract faster than I can! Jacob started soccer this year and it really seems to be his sport of choice. He really hustled on the field. He also tried golf camp and basketball - he had fun doing both. Jacob loves climbing trees and playing outside with his friends. Jake also loves his video games. We finally broke down and got a Wii this year after finding him spending more time at people's homes that have Wiis. He loves it - regulating his time has become our new challenge. Jake also started piano this year. He is really doing well and seems to enjoy it. Jake continues to be our picky eater. Nothing with tomatoes or tomato base! He loves sausage and all breakfast foods. Surprisingly enough, he will also eat spiders, ants and other crawling things just to get the shock factor from his friends. We had to stop that by telling him he had to eat pizza every time he ate a spider. That took care of that pretty quickly! Jake we love the energy you bring to our home. Thanks for keeping things from getting boring around here. We love you more than you'll ever know!

Five is Fabulous!

Sabrina was SO excited to turn 5. For her activity with a friend she only wanted to play with her best friend Charly. They played all day long and had a blast. We stopped long enough to invite in all the neighborhood kids who were at the house for cake and ice cream. Between the two birthdays in two days we have enough cake to feed the whole ward!

This has been quite the year for Sabrina. She had surgery, thankfully with wonderful results. She also started Kindergarten. Sabrina has such a kind heart. If anyone is injured in the family, Sabrina is the first to run to their aid and immediately wants to offer a prayer. She still loves cuddling her monkey. She could play with barbies, poly pockets, petshops, and dress up all day long--As long as she has someone to play it with. She loves playing with Kali now that they can understand each other better. She also plays for hours on end with her good friend Charly. Sabrina likes to watch Martha Speaks and anything with princesses in it. She isn't a picky eater at all, but really loves pizza, bagels, and ice cream. We're still working on her whining, but she is making progress as she gets older. Sabrina, we love you and the kindness you bring to our home. Thank you for being so quick to forgive and so willing to love!