The Loos visit Utah

So excited to have Brandt and Rena and their cute Dallin come back to Utah for a visit. It had been way too long since we had seen them and gotten to spend hours hanging out together. We took advantage of their time and did some fun things.

I let the older boys take a day off of school and we headed to the zoo. Rainy days at the zoo mean almost no crowds, which I love. It was a bit chilly though.

Dallin wasn't allows sure what to think about all of these boys and all of their wild ways.

Just waiting for the bird show.

The dinosaur displays make for some good props and Henry is always one to ham it up for a great photo. Gotta love his silly self.

Finn and I also took them to the Natural History Museum and enjoyed the view from the roof.

Love these girls from the "Tenth Ward" crew. So many great memories, and I am so lucky we get to keep making more.

We even had lunch with Anne and Rena came to visit her a couple of times too.

Our last day together was donuts and some time at the park. Dallin and Finn were so excited to have matching shirts and be twins. We miss them so much when they are in Hawaii.

2015 Running Club Marathon Party

I have been lucky to be a part of a successful Running Club program at the boy's school all year. The program following the plan that all of the kids run a mile every week through the year until they have completed a marathon. We had a huge showing this year and a great time figuring things out with 150 kids. There were some super duper crazy Friday mornings throughout this year, but by the last day it is easier to forget all of that and be glad that we made it through. 

So glad I can do something fun like this with these boys.

The 2nd grade group- Henry and his friends.

4th graders- Gavin and friends

The entire group! About 140 kids... and we started the year with even more. Crazy fun times.

I have gotten to know some really great parents and made some good friends this year, with so many parents coming to help with the huge group of kids.

 Gavin and Matthew

 Krissie and I started this Marathon program in 2013 and have enjoyed the adventure of watching how fast it has grown. It has been a lot of work this year. Hoping by next fall we will keep figuring things out.

Spring Half Marathons

This spring I decided to sign up for two different half marathons. The first was in April. The Salt Lake City Half, it was a new route for this race so I wanted to try it out. A beautiful day and a good run and fun crowd.

The second was in May, and also a race I hadn't done before, even though part of the route was very familiar. The Vigor Big Cottonwood, ends about a mile and half from the bottom of Big Cottonwood Canyon, and runs on the bike trail for that after canyon section. It was a PR for me at 1:46, and I got to finish the last 2-3 miles with Stacy. She caught me at a point that I was not sure I was going to make a PR and we were able to push through the last section together. It was awesome. It was mostly foggy and damp until the end when it started to drizzle. Great day for a run.

 Nathan also ran the race with us, and finished in a down pour.

2nd Grade Field Trip Chaperone

I got a chance to go with Henry and all of the 2nd grade to the Aquarium for their field trip. I was totally eye opening to see him with all of his friends, and realize that my own kids really aren't that crazy. We had a great time, and of course he loved his mom coming along, so that he could convince me to buy him things at the gift shop at the end.

 Giant Sea Turtle.

 Crossing the rope bridge.

 Friends and Ms. Hatch- his Chinese teacher- being eaten by a giant shark jaw.

Pinewood Derby 2015

This year's Pinewood Derby found us with 2 kids and 2 cars entered into the races. We have finally figured out a few tricks for these things and had a pretty good showing. It is always fun to see what the different boys do with their cars.

Gavin always aims for a fancy paint job, and he even looked up some tips online for this years car.

Henry's Mustache Car. Complete with neon paint job.

Gavin actually did pretty well for his 3rd and final derby. He managed to make it into the top 3 racers. He was pretty happy. A large improvement from the first car that barely moved. 

All of the pack and their awards and prizes. A great group and a great race.

Post Tax Day Fun

A few of us were so excited to have Caleb home for an entire day now that tax season is over. We decided to go on a little spring lunch and stroll through the beautiful flowers at Temple Square.

It was Wyatt's first time at Blue Lemon and he is now officially a food snob, and loved his fancy mac and cheese.

 Two Buddies who really love each other, most of the time.

 Such a beautiful place to be.

Being 10.

It has been such an amazing thing to have a 10 year old. Suddenly Gavin is excited to do things like learn to mow the lawn and even pull his little brother on the bike trailer. Totally awesome for his parents. Let's hope this trend continues.

Spring Break with Cousins Part 2

The middle of our spring break week was filled with a snowy day, so we headed indoor to watch "Paddington" the movie. The older kids loved it, the smallest boys didn't do as well, but we all made it out alive. Wyatt and Jaren just wanted the food.

 After the movie we headed to the indoor pool at the rec center for a swim. We went in with giant snowflakes falling on our heads and left because someone, who wasn't any of us, pooped in the pool right before it was about to close. Makes for an adventure for sure.

 We spent the last day of the break, and by far the nicest day in terms of weather out hiking. We tried a new location in Corner Canyon, and it was great for the kids and nice to check out some new scenery. Finn was the only one that wasn't so great at hiking on this round. I had to carry him for about 3/4 of the hike, which wasn't the best, but we all survive.

 There was a beautiful view of the Draper Temple and the valley from the trail... and Finn chose not to take part in this photo.

 Lots of nice bridges along the way.

 We even stood on one for our snacks since we were a bit worried about all the signs saying there was poison ivy off the trail.

 We enjoyed a great picnic lunch at a park with our take out from Cubby's after all of the strenuous hiking. It was a great day and a great week.

Cardon Cousin Spring Break Part 1

We lucked out this year in one way... Even though Caleb couldn't be around with us at all for spring break, which forces me to decide to stay in town, we did have the same spring break as the other Cardon cousins who were also father/husbandless for the week. We ended up having a great time together all week and some very successful adventures. Just enough to keep the kids, and their mothers happy.

Our first stop was the zoo. It was a cool day, still great to be outside roaming and checking out the joys of the zoo. 

 Plenty of stopping to pose for photos and checking out all our favorite animals, including the new baby orangutan. 

 It was chilly by the time we ended our day there, but we had promised them all ice cream and they were determined to have it.

 After the zoo, Stacy was the awesome host of my 3 oldest boys for a sleepover at her house. They were beyond excited and had a great time, and were even tired enough from all the zoo action that everyone got some sleep.

Our second day together we decided to take a hike, even though things were still a bit chilly, it wasn't raining. We headed to Bells Canyon and followed the trails to the lower reservoir. All of our hikers did really well, and the older kids were very helpful at leading the way and helping the younger. 

 After we made it the top, we decided to hike around the reservoir, which got us a little lost, but no one minded the exploring. It offered even more rocks to climb as well and some nice scenic trails.

 Finn went through his daily grumpy streak on the hike, but at least he wasn't pulling my hair while listing all of the things that he hated at that moment.