Dear Family and Friends,

Highlight of this week was the Ragnar relay this weekend.  I was on a team called Steel Magnolias hence the flowers in the hair and the shirts.  We have a team member in her early 20s to one in her early 50s, one who is 5 months pregnant and two who are grandmas.  It is really a unique group of friends brought together by running together.  We have been training and planning together for a year now to do this so it was a huge culmination.  Spending 40 hours in a van with woman you admire and cheering each other on to do your best as everyone did legs that were a big challenge for them was amazing.  The relay is truly a little over the top insane and watching all the funny (and sometimes crass) 1200 teams is part of the fun.  Vans are decorated and pimped out.  Teams in superhero costumes and wigs running next to you.  Our van started first at 6:30 up in Logan at Utah State.  Which meant to get there to check in at 5:30 am  for the safety lectures etc we had to leave at 3 am.  I was runner number one and ran at 6:30 am starting off on the Utah State Track and going through a bunch of small towns, running at 4:30 pm up and out of Snow Basin Ski Resort and then again at 3:40 am.  We did get to sleep for 3 1/2 hours with our sleeping bags spread out on the grass at the Oakley Rodeo grounds in 36 degree temperatures.  I did mention the relay is a bit over the top didn't I?  Our team finished up at 1:50 pm on Saturday.  I ended up running 20 miles total (which is a big leap up from 14 miles which is the longest I have ever run) without walking which was my goal.  Very hard but cool to do.  Planning to take next year off and work more on a few smaller races through the year instead.  I do have one more race that I am doing at the end of July but that is it.  Hopefully our running group will keep going though now that our year is over.  But I definitely won't be running for a few days now.  And biggest plus was that my knees were stiff and sore by the end but nothing hurt.  Must have been all those prayers.

This week was Strawberry Days, our city celebration.  Monday was free pool day so despite the clouds and wind we piled kids and a few friends in the car to brave the pool.  We stuck it out for a few hours and then the clouds went away, the sun came out and we enjoyed a perfect afternoon splashing around for our first swimming day outside this year.  Wednesday night we did our annual Rodeo night.  For the first time we took Taylor and Robyn along with Spencer and Allison.  Plied with junk food and impressed at how easy it was to get Taylor in and out for a front row seat, we all enjoyed it.  And then Saturday Jeremy took on kids a day of the city parade, cleaning the office, shopping for Spencer's shoes and doing a BBQ for kids by himself.  For the parade they went to a friend's house who lives on the parade route and kids enjoyed meeting his HUGE dog:
 

Our new respite worker Ashlee has been like a gift from heaven for us.  She is still looking for a weekday CNA job so she came over Friday to watch the kids while I was gone.  They are all loving her.  And then Saturday night I was able to come home for an hour to unpack and then go out on a date with Jeremy to eat a bunch of food, see a play and play catch up for the weekend.  Jeremy was told today to "brace himself" for a new calling which makes me want to soak up all the couple time we can while we can.

Jeremy outfitted Spencer this week for a scout fishing trip on Tuesday.  It really is Spencer's first time officially fishing and not just having Jeremy throw in a little kiddie line for him.  He didn't catch a thing and was a bit put out about having his line tangled up but can't wait to try it again.  He is a little paranoid about loosing a lure now that he know how much he will have to pay to buy a replacement!  Tomorrow morning he leaves for a week for his scout camp with the 3rd ward.  I will be praying really hard this week!  I am just glad that Jeremy is going up Tuesday to spend the day helping out and can check up on him but Spencer is quite excited about it.  In July he gets to go again with the 2nd ward.

Allison has one more week of softball.  This week she got one base twice, once through a bunch of balls and once by hitting the ball and making it all the way to second base.  She was quite stoked because she has never made it to base before in any of the games.  The girls pitch to each other so to actually hit the ball is a big accomplishment.  Robyn's team plays duck duck goose in the outfield while they wait their turn to chase the ball.  Your typical t-ball, where's the treats and who do we cheer for type of game.
 
This week we have definitely been more in the spirit of summer.  Warm sunny weather helps as well as the realization that summer jobs will happen and that sometimes we can't play with friends.  I still try to convince kids to stay home while I do the grocery shopping but they regard the local grocery store as one of the best outings of the week so that isn't happening.  Thats what happens when they pass out free cookies at the bakery and everyone gets to play bumper cart as they get their groceries off their list.  Girls started gymnastics this week at the rec center.  Much more laid back than ones they have done in the past which they love.  As Allison put it they only do the stuff she loves - flips, walk overs, skin the cat etc and not the stuff she hates - pull ups, sit ups etc.

I am also trying to focus more on the positive.  I get wrapped up till like I am a little hen pecking away at my kids when I tell Spencer to chew food with his mouth shut, for Allison to not throw her clothes on the floor or for Robyn to stop using her whining yelling voice - for quite literally the thousandth time and no that is really not an exaggeration.  Especially with Spencer there is so much to peck and pick at that it is hard to just stop sometimes.  But hopefully I will get better and focus on the fact that he could mow our neighbors lawn (after 4 mom assists, 2 glasses of water and an hour but boy was he proud of himself) or make dinner for our family on Saturday by himself (thank you Duty to God program!).  There really is so much good that I need to overlook the mannerisms and problems each kid has or at least not feel like I continuously focus on them.  See if I can do any better.

Taylor goes back to school this week and starts physical therapy as well.  He is starting to bear weight better and tries to catch himself when he falls.  Not great but a definite improvement.  He only will go to school for six days in June and six days in July but I think they will help get him going again.

Love to you all but especially to my Dad and Jeremy.  Where would I be without the men in my life?

Heather