The much anticipated tooth!

Monet has finally lost her first tooth! She's waited patiently while every other kid in her class at school lost theirs. I told her it might be awhile since her teeth came in late. And finally that little tooth came out.

I pushed it back and forth, and finally did a little twisting. I am sure it hurt like crazy, but she was so brave. She was as determined as I was to get it out!

Finally, it popped. She had a sleepover with her cousin that night, and the tooth fairy even knew where to find her AND let her keep her tooth!

Our Enterprising Fourth of July Tradition

What better way to celebrate the land of opportunity than with a little enterprise?

We started a tradition of selling glowstuff at fireworks shows years ago when Jared and his brother were doing eGlow.com. At first it was purely a great way to make some extra money and I have to admit I somewhat dreaded having my husband working so hard all that week. But as our kids have grown, they now see the event as super fun--like a big lemonade stand. It has become a full-fledged family tradition. Our families have joined us for most years, making it really fun for me and the kids while Jared is in the booth. Elise was fantastic and helped so much in the booth this year. She was helped all the customers for almost a full hour. Monet can't wait until she is old enough to go with daddy in the morning and stay all day. And Miles--he was great at hoarding the light sabers. He was sure proud that HIS dad was the one with all the cool stuff. We thought that was hilarious.

Each year is a lot of work, but the fun lasts for days. The kids are especially excited about counting the money afterwards--and I am impressed with their accuracy!

Monet was really excited about the snakes she got to hold (seven different ones) and wanted me to put them on the blog. She was very brave!

When I was eighteen I taught English in Voronezh, Russia for about five months. While I was there, they celebrated Victory Day and lit up fireworks over the Volga River. Having the experience of living in that country made me so much more aware of the opportunities that we have here in the United States, and I don't think I've ever felt a love for my country as I did when seeing the fireworks in Russia. Fireworks shows have never been the same since. It is especially fun to watch them now, and see the look on my kids' faces. They love them too.

Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay 2009

Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay 2009

I wasn’t sure that I’d do this race again after how hard it was last year. But my team had some people drop out, and I was happy to fill in. I am really glad I gave it another shot! I can see why this is becoming such a popular race, and I’d love to do another relay. I wasn’t sure how I liked the format last year, but I think the key is to have really low expectations. This year, I was expecting to get no sleep, be super cranky, and to be sick. I was pleasantly surprised when I felt pretty good. We even went shopping after the race. Last year, all I wanted to do was crawl into some dark quiet place and go to bed. We had two full teams this year, and with drivers that is 26 women! It was a total party.

I was runner 6 in Van 1 this year. My first leg was up a mile, then a steep downhill of about four miles before it flattened out for the last two. It was a really pretty run. It was fun to let go on the downhill. I was a little nervous about my quads getting sore, but it went well, and though I could feel the burn at the end, I felt pretty good considering.
Avon Pass was full of sunflowers and was all new to me. I loved watching all the girls in our van run through Hyrum and the south end of Logan. It was such a scenic course! I got some huge blisters that were really painful.

We had all afternoon to hang out at Snowbasin before heading out again on our second round. My second leg was at about 10 pm and I really don’t know much of where I was since it was very dark out. It was an eight mile climb, and I felt pretty good. I was slower than I’d wanted to be, but my sides were hurting and it would get worse the faster I went. Toward the end I stopped to walk for a few seconds when another lady caught up to me. I loved the camaraderie that we shared from the race. We were all cheering each other on and competing in a sense at the same time. She and I kinda leapfrogged a bit. Then a big group of ladies were walking up one of the big hills and I stopped to listen to their chatter before turning it up again. For a few miles I was on my own. I didn’t have anyone around for a long time and it kinda made me nervous. But it was nice at the same time. I love running in the dark. It was nice to be away from my family for a few days. Funny how when I am gone, all I can think about is how much I love them and miss them. Totally makes me appreciative.

We headed to sleep at a cabin in Midway for a few hours. All of us were happy to get a hot shower and a few hours of sleep before our morning runs. I felt great when I started that last leg. It was an easy three mile flat on the map, but it was really a gentle downhill and it rained lightly. I felt sorry for Van 2 who had heavy rain, hail, and cold weather for their last several hours. After over 18 total miles, my legs were shot and my blisters huge. It was a great feeling to be done with my part. At the end of the race, the two vans meet at the finish line in Park City and everyone joins the last runner from their team and run into the finish line together. It was so fun.

Highlights of the race:
--Spending some time with my friends! I don’t think there could be a better girls’ weekend. I loved all the girls that we were with, and it was so fun to get to know all the fun girls in our van better. Spending those miserable race moments together is totally bonding.
--Food! I think I ate enough to last me a few weeks—in fact, I think I just grew a spare tire
--Beautiful scenery—I think the pioneers chose the wrong side of the Wasatch Mtns
I got two cool new shirts. Yay, my other ones are really stinky.

Lake Mary Hike

We haven't hiked Lake Mary as a family in years. So we decided it was time for the younger kids to see what it was all about. It is up at Brighton and one year there was snow until the end of July. There were still quite a few patches. There weren't a lot of wildflowers yet. A few more weeks and it is going to be gorgeous. We didn't get to Brighton until 7. So it was a little chilly. The kids started getting tired and cold at the end. Simone said "Mommy, let's NOT do this again." and Miles agreed. I think they'll feel differently when we have more time and we get to spend some time at the top checking out the fish. We showed them our secret cache in one of the Granite rocks and they thought that was very cool.

Seven Peaks

We've have had a couple of non-rainy days in June! We had a great time at Seven Peaks the other day. Simone and Miles loved the slides. I think I heard "let's do it again mommy!" many times. The kids had a great time with their friends.

Monet was so excited when Elijah moved in down the street. She loves having a buddy that is so close.

Favorites from my Running Playlist

I love how easy it is to download music these days. Remember when you had to record the song off the radio or buy the tape--then take hours putting together your mix tape? I made a mix for Jared when we first started dating. The sign of my true devotion. I still love all those songs.

Anyway, here are 30 of my favorites for running. There are over 70 on my iPod but these probably have the best beat. After listening to some of them so many times while working out, my body is now conditioned to want to run when I hear them. Maybe I should set one of them for my alarm clock?

Stand Back—Stevie Nicks

Objection—Shakira

Viva La Vida—Coldplay

In a Big Country—Big Country

Human—The Killers

Just a Girl—No Doubt

SOS--Rihanna

Survivor—Destiny’s Child

Whenever, Wherever--Shakira

Somebody Told Me—The Killers

My Best Friend's Girl—The Cars

Hungry Like the Wolf—Duran Duran

Read My Mind—The Killers

How Far We've Come—How Far We’ve Come

Hey Ya, Hey Ya--Outkast

It's A Sin--INXS

Runnin Down a Dream—Tom Petty

The Sweet Escape—Gwen Stefani

Shut Up and Drive--Rihanna

Wake Up Call—Maroon 5

Always Something There to Remind Me—Naked Eyes

I Will Survive—Gloria Gaynor

Sunday Bloody Sunday—U2

Sweet Home Alabama—Lynyrd Skynyrd

Speed of sound—U2

It’s the End of the World as we know it--REM

So What—Pink

American Boy—Estelle (get the clean version)

Single Ladies—Beyonce

Don’t Look Back--Boston

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Since I had a race this weekend, Father's Day just didn't get properly celebrated. I was hobbling around on very tired legs. And the kids didn't get their cards finished beforehand. So here are some little messages from them to Jared for Father's Day. Simone drew a picture for Daddy's "Happy Father's Day."

From Monet:

Dear daddy,

I love you. What is your favorite color? You are nice,cool,funny,active and playful. Do you like monkeys? What is your favorite animal? Do you like frogs and toads. What is your favorite T-Shirt?

From Elise:

Dear Daddy,

How do you play basketball so good? Can you teach me?

here is a poem that I found 'cause I love you


Daddy, I Love You

Daddy, I love you for all that you do.
I'll kiss you and hug you 'cause you love me, too.
You feed me and need me to teach you too play,
so smile 'cause I love you always, and especially on this Father's Day.

Love Elise,

P.S. Happy Father's Day!

Miles:

Dear Daddy,

I want to send you some food for Father's Day. I love when you ordered my Ben 10 shirt. I like going to the dollar store and stuff.

Ouch, Poor Simone!

The other day Simone got whacked with the wooden swing and had a very deep cut on her forehead.

I learned a few things about my little Simone and kids in general. First off, she is 23 pounds of pure strength. It took three people to hold her down and we were all exhausted afterward.

She talks a lot more than she did just a few weeks ago. In between her screaming episodes, this is what she said:

"meany guy!" (to the doctor)
"I'm FINE!"
"Get this OFF me!" (about the drape thing over her eyes)
"I have to go potty."

I kept reassuring her that we'd go see the horses when we were done and she could get some balloons and bubbles. I didn't really think she heard me through all of her shreiking.

But right after I got to hold her and cuddle her and we went to see the horses.

She was so excited to get her balloons and reminded me about the bubbles. When we got home, she was pretty excited about all the attention she was getting and when Elise asked her if it hurt or was fun, she said, "It was fun!"

This reminded me of my first stitches experience. My sisters bounced me off the tramp and I split my face open from my nose to my lip. The only thing thing I remember about the experience is the blood, then being really excited about the tongue depressor the doctor gave me.

So here she is 11 small stitches later. Two inner ones, and 9 outer stitches.

What I Should Have Said

When my little Monet asked me what I loved to do and what is really fun for me:

1. Listening to good music! I love musicals especially. Nothing makes me happy like singing at the top of my lungs Wicked. Annie Get Your Gun, Les Mis, Beauty and the Beast, Mamma Mia, Safety Kids, you name it. You won't catch me singing for anyone else though. My husband and kids (okay maybe my sisters) are the only lucky ones who get to hear me belt it. :)

2. Waterparks and Amusement Parks. Seriously, I could go on the swings over and over again. And I love roller coasters. Makes me VERY happy. It is hard to wipe the grin off my face. The beach would also be the top contender, but I don't get there often enough. Boogie boarding (even though I suck at it) is super fun!

3. Looking at homes. Good thing too since I am a realtor. I think it is so interesting to see how normal people decorate, store, etc. I must be really nosy. But it is very cool to walk through a bunch of homes, then come home and figure out what I want to do differently in my house. (Or how thankful I am not to be living in some of those houses). As a kid, I walked everywhere and would mentally remodel homes as I walked down the street.

4. Being up in the canyons. I think there is just something about being outside and letting my kids explore that really piques my imagination. As a kid, we'd build little cities on the shores of rivers, made cool shelters complete with leaf lined outhouses, etc. I love the change of scenery, and getting to play Swiss Family Robinson for a few hours. It is fun to find someplace remote or really cool that is ours. When we lived a block from the beach, I had the same fun from walking down the beach and how different it could be from one day to the next.

5. Laying out on the tramp with Jared after the kids have gone to bed and looking at the stars. We've seen some pretty crazy things out at night--some amazingly huge birds and other ufos ; ). I love being outside in the dark, and with him, I'm safe. I love it. It is nice to just sit out and talk with no TV, no phone, and no kid interruptions.

6. Doing things that are different and memorable on dates. While I do enjoy going to dinner and a movie, they are not as memorable. So I like trying new things. I have a mile long list of dates that I'd love to do with Jared. Too bad we are often throwing something together at the last minute. But the next one on the list is riding kayaks down the Jordan River. It just seems like a fun little date.

7. Mrs. Pac-Man. I just haven't used Angela's Mrs. Pac-Man to the full extent. Probably because when I am at my sister's, I'd rather talk.

8. Building things, and just doing things in general that seem hard. I love that look of surprise and admiration on Jared's face. Like when I fixed the sprinklers (which was actually easy) and he just looked like the happiest man alive to get out of that one.

9. Bargain hunting. I love digging through piles of stuff to find random treasures. Down East Clearance Sales, D.I and the RC Willey Clearance Outlet have furnished my home. And it was so fun! I can't imagine just walking in and ordering something, or paying full-price. Buying cheap and selling things on Ebay is also really fun--actually watching my auctions is the fun part. I really hate creating listings though. I was a powerseller for a long time. We had quite the eBay business going on back in the day.

10. I love to travel. Travelling is such an adventure. National Geographic, or even just looking at pictures of different places I'd love to visit is fun and suffices at this point in my life. I think as a kid, I missed my friends and didn't enjoy the experience to the fullest. But I can't wait to go places with Jared. I know he'd be such a fun-loving and enthusiastic person to travel with.

11. Magazines. I love to browse magazines at the library. I don't want to actually buy them. But just mindlessly reading and shuffling through bits of information without commiting to a book is great relaxation for me. That is probably why I love blogging. I love having a quick read when I've just walked in from the grocery store, etc. It just relaxes and destresses me.

A little piece of me is found

Last summer my sister and I were talking and she reminded me of how when I was younger I loved gardening and flowers. I read all kinds of books on gardening and loved to get cute garden tools and supplies.

After this discussion, I went home to a yard of dry grass, weeds, and no flowers, and wondered what in the heck happened to me. Although my ugly yard is not completely from lack of effort--there are a few really funny stories that resulted in my not having any good plants left--but I guess yardwork just hasn't been a priority in the last few years. Anyway, I wondered if I was justifying letting that part of me go. And decided that I was going to do better.

So last fall, around Thanksgiving, I planted these:

I almost didn't get them in the ground. But one nice day out in the freezing cold, I did get my garden cleaned up and and bulbs planted. I thoroughly enjoyed my angelique tulips, grape hyacinths, and daffodils this spring and was so glad that I got them in the ground.

I also vowed that I was going to get the backyard looking better. I am so excited to have "found" this side of me again. A couple of weeks ago, I fixed the sprinkler line that has been broken for five years. Walking into Home Depot covered in mud and buying all my sprinkler supplies, I felt like a true Adair girl (or should I say Reagan?) through and through.

We did a trade for these vinyl planters for my vegetables, and I am so excited. Hopefully I get a good little crop. I am trying to do it right this time and actually read about what goes well together.

I hate that as mothers we often stop doing the things that we really love. My daughter asked me the other day, "mommy, what do you love to do? If you could do anything, what would it be?" I honestly had a hard time answering that question. After an hour or so, I thought of some good ones, but I don't spend a lot of time doing things I love. I don't think that for me it is a lack of time. I think it is just a lack of focus. There is so much to accomplish and to improve. I rarely stop to think about doing the things I really love on a regular basis. I think running is probably it for me. And that is kinda sad since there are so many things that I am interested in that would be so beneficial to my family. Miles's new job is to water all my plants. I transplanted a bunch of them to the backyard and praying they survive. But it is sweet to have him involved and learning by doing. He is very excited to have that responsibility. I am really happy to have a new passion. I've been coveting the beautiful roses and peonies, and am already plotting where to rip up the grass to plant some.

Anyway, here is my closing quote, I've always loved this one:

"If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a hyacinth."