the haps

above is a pic of me as a babe with my sweet mom. Does Jane look like me?

I'm sure I can't be the only one that gets myself and my kids dressed then realizes that we're matching, but it was done unconsciously

I like the view :)
Mark got a ton of seeds planted yesterday. Growing a garden really is a miracle. Its just rows of dirt and you watch everyday, hoping that all that dirt, water, and sunshine will really make that seed grow into the...peppers, cucumbers, lettuces, tomatoes, squash, tomatillos, zucchini, pumpkins, and sunflowers you were hoping for.

We love Draper.
I'm so thankful for our lives and our health also, we are blessed.

janers getting big enough (days short of 5 months) for the exersaucer, jumper, and bumbo. oh the gadgets and words that come into your life with kids :)

zoo time with cousins. yes, siri looks like a nerd, but she will be a sun-protected nerd :)

above:when mom picks the outfit
below: when child picks the outfit

the sticker

I have to go get more hot chocolate, just in case summer never comes. You know your husband loves hot chocolate when you have to buy the can that says "Good for Daycares, Offices, and Schools".

Every other month I have a GNO with the girls in the family. Last night we ate good food and made yarn wreaths. Yes, I crafted, all by myself. I made a patriotic one, so maybe I'll take a pic of it once I put it up on the door.

I'm still reading Atlas Shrugged, and am almost done with Born to Run. If you are a human and do any form of locomotion you need to read that book and tell me what you think. I got a little too excited and tried changing my running stride too quickly. Now my achilles is sore. Mark is reading Driven (story of Larry Miller) and it sounds like a good one to put on the list.

Mark and I have never had any type of smartphone or internet on our phones. People ask "How do you live without it?!" You don't miss what you don't have. But, Mark really does need it with how much he travels (I'm excited to not get a call at 11pm when he's trying find his way from the airport to the hotel) and the importance of getting back to people as soon as he can. So, he now has an iPhone. Its probably standard for most people to have one, but for us it is a new luxury for now.

I'm planning my 10 year high school reunion that will be in August. I meet with a few other people about once a month. Honestly I really don't want to be doing this, I wish someone else would. But when we get together, its so much fun to catch up and talk about high school and our lives now. If any of you have suggestions for what I should or shouldn't do, please share. And if you're reading this and you are in our graduating class-come, whether your motivation is excitement, guilt, or just to support me;) I'd appreciate it.

The moment

leaving for St.George

Mark crossed the finish line and in that moment, he became an Ironman. I don't know how many people have finished one, but I know that its a small percent of the worlds population and that its not an easy task. I don't have a desire to do one, but I am most definitely going to do a marathon.

THANK YOU thank you to Bill, Annie, Liz, B & JR for coming down to support us!

We're going to have a 'sticker ceremony' tomorrow. Its kinda weird, but Mark loves stickers. He always had stickers on his car and gear in high school and to this day I have to tell him 'no' when he starts to put stickers on things (since he'd rather do that then throw away a good sticker). I bought an Ironman sticker a few months back and told him we'd put it on the car when the race was done :)

Oh, and he has a love (as do other males?) for mustaches, thus, the handlebar grown especially for his race.
p.s. I also had to refuse to cut a mullet for him.

just before the swim start

windy sunday