Ironman Challenge

One of the things I love most about where I live is that there are absolutely no excuses to not workout. There are 4 Rec Centers in my community, numerous trails for hiking, biking and walking, a 24 hour fitness and, of late, BEAUTIFUL weather. This month, the Rec Centers have put out a challenge to complete an Ironman Triathalon. A little intimidating and overwhelming you say? Well, yes and no. Yes because its a flipping Ironman (thats riding 112 miles on the bike, swimming 155 lengths of the pool which is 2.4 miles and running 26.2 miles), but no, because they are challenging us to do the Ironman distances over a 2 week period. I put together a schedule of how far I need to run/bike/swim each day and started on it Monday. Since I stopped working out with my trainer in June, I've had a bit of a hard time sticking to a schedule and I thought this would be a great way to get back into it, consistently. My friend Tamara is doing it too and we started bright and early Monday morning. I started the day with Butt Bootcamp. It's a lower body workout I do in front of my house with a bunch of neighbors and friends from church. Then after that I ran on the treadmill for 3.25 miles and then headed to 24 hour fitness to swim. My plan was to swim 26 lengths but with Tamara there, and her great motivation, I ended up swimming 70 lenths. Over a mile done!!! Then today we woke up and rode the stationary bike at the rec center for 20 miles! I'm so excited that I'm not only on schedule to complete the distances, but am actually a bit ahead of schedule. Tomorrow I have to run 7 miles and am planning to swim another 50 lengths. Wish me luck!

Youth Conference 2008

Adam and I were asked to be the ward Youth Conference Coordinators again this year. Because I suffer from "I can't say no" syndrome and from "I love working with the youth" syndrome, I of course said yes. Shortly after accepting the assignment our bishopric was changed and Adam was put into the new one so coordinat"orS" changed to coordinat"or". As has been the case the past 2 years all of the stress, hard work, and more stress paid off and the weekend turned out to be fabulous!
Two years ago the YC we planned was AWESOME! (and i don't say that to sound boisterous at all, I say it only because it really was AWESOME!) We ran "The Amazing Race" through Denver with 7 teams of youth with drivers, leaders, video cameras and craziness. It was sooooo fun! I was extremely fearful that this year would not even come close to the last one. I'm glad to say I was wrong. This one was just as great! Different but great and some of the kids said it was "WWWAAAAYYYYY better" when they bore their testimonies at the closing fireside!
So here's a quick run down of what we did!

THEME: Superhero Academy: Be Steadfast and Immovable
Mosiah 5:15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.
Friday Night: We divided the kids into teams. Each team was assigned a color as well as a "Superhero Characteristic" that we pulled from the scripture. Steadfast, Immovable, Good Works, Wisdom, Power, Justice, and Mercy. Then we headed out to Larkspur to a Ranch that a former bishop in our Stake just built. He has tons of land. He and his wife bought and built their house with the purpose of being able to host Youth conferences. Cool! So the schedule was this:

SUPERHEROES SAVING THE DAY - Service Project out at a Ranch Part of the service projecta t the ranch was painting the barn.
And putting in fence posts
More of painint the barn

SUPERHERO TRAINING-Fun games. Each game was named after the SH Characteristics.

The "Superhero Training" Field. The flags behing have the names of each characteristic. Hilary Walton, Me, Tamara Cooper-Leavitt, Vicki Fairchild, Kim Parker (leaders and committee members)
A better look at the flags!
Dan Parker as the "Destroyer" at the "Steadfast" game.

WHO'S YOUR SUPERHERO- Fireside. We asked 7 youth to speak and share who their "hero" was and why.
-back to our house and the Parkers for the YM to sleep at our house and the YW to sleep at Parkers

Saturday:

SUPERHERO BRIEFING: Morningside with our Stake President. It was up at Daniel's Park, a beautiful picnic spot that overlooks the Colorado Mountains.
Daniel's Park Pavillion for Morningside.

SUPERHEROS IN ACTION We then went to one of the local High Schools and did their ropes course. It was UNBELIEVABLE! The kids absolutely loved it as they flew through the air, jumped off of high buildings and scaled up the sides of walls. Sooooo fun!

Stephanie- the leader of the ropes course
One of our Young Men on top of the climbing pole getting ready to jump for the hanging rope! SCARIER than it lookes! Brook on the SWING getting ready to release!
This is me demonstrating how to fly! The director of the course told me that I had to do at least one of the 7 stations! I chose this one. It's a tall post you have to climb and then stand on the top and jum for the rope! It is SOOOOOO scary and so fun!
The HUGE rope swing after releasing!

SUPERHERO FINAL EXAM- Each team had to build a child's bike by following the directions they were given. Once their bike was built they had to get it approved by one of our bike pros. If it wasn't good enough they had to figure out why and fix it. Once their bike was approved they had to go out, with their team (and leaders who were drivers) into one of the less fortunate areas of where we live and find a child to give the bike to. We gave them one hour to do it. All the teams

When the teams had all returned from giving their bikes away we each team tell us a little bit about who they gave their bikes too. It was amazing to see the excitement on their faces and see how touched they were by this activity.
One team found a little boy who's birthday it was to give their bike to.

SUPERHERO GRADUATION- Of course all the youth passed the "Final Exam" so next game graduation where they all received their "diplomas" and "capes".

Sunday: Closing Fireside and Testimony.
It's my personal feeling that Youth Conference is not complete without hearing from the youth during a testimony meeting. It was great to hear the youth talk about their experiences and how they were impacted by what we did.

Working with the youth is such an uplifting and spiritual experience for me. They truly are the "chosen generation" and I believe the youth in our wards will grow up to do some pretty amazing things. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to plan and carry out this activity. Whenever the youth gather together, the spirit is there!

Going Private...email address correction...SORRY!

Sorry guys. I just realized that I spelled my email address incorrectly below. I changed it so be sure to re send your email address to the below address! Oops! Sorry!

Going Private

For many months I have considered taking my blog private. I have hesitated because I LOVE the random "Blasts from the past" that show up and reconnecting with so many friends. That said, I feel like the safety and protection of my family and children is much more important that reconnecting. There are other ways to reconnect. My sister blogged about the disturbing Oprah show on Monday. I watched only a short part of it and was so sickened, disgusted and truly disturbed by it that I couldn't even watch the whole show. If you didn't see it, let's just say that there is a HUGE possibility that if you have a blog, and it's not private, then someone, some CREEP, has looked at your pictures and your children. I have a friend in my ward who went private because of someone stalking her little boy. Creepy! Sooooo, without further adieu....I will be going private!

If you wish to be an approved reader on my blog please email me your google account email at spaghettigrowsontress@yahoo.com. Or, if you have my other email address you can send it there too. If you would like to leave it as a comment, I have comment moderation so your email address will not appear for everyone else to see. Anyway, if you know friends or relatives that check my blog that would like to be approved readers, email their emails and tell me how you know them or have them leave a comment. I'm okay with strangers looking at my blog, as long as they are "approved" strangers!

Send in the emails :-)

Blessings of Being A Mom

Seems that I've been a bit emotional/sentimental these days, but today when I was sitting in church, I looked down the bench at my little crew of kids and had such a feeling of love and gratitude for each one of my babes! They came to me, what seems like, forever ago, and they have each stolen a piece of my heart that is reserved, now and forever, just for them. I love them SOOOO much and am constantly in awe of how it came to be that these sweet little spirits were entrusted to me.

As I watched them during Sacrament meeting, their little faces showed their little personalities shining through. First their was Spencer, sitting farthest away from me. He was leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, looking so grown up. Just a little over a year and he won't be sitting with me for about half of the meeting, as he'll be a deacon and passing the sacrament. He is at the age where he is "caught in the middle", trying so hard to be responsible and grown up, but having a hard time resisting the urge to poke, tease or laugh (loudly) with one of his siblings! He's such a pleaser (in a good way, so far...) and all I need to do is give him the eye and its like he remembers that he wants to be acting more grown up.

Next to Spencer is Garett, at least for that moment. G is my quiet, snuggly, imaginative one. He's sitting on the bench, with his feet resting against the bench in front of us, creating a table with his legs, so he can draw his pictures. Anything from a treasure map, to a Harry Potter Quiddich match, to a picture of the Strippling Warriors, his favorite thing to do in church is draw. Being my quiet one, I sometimes wonder what's going on in that little (or big depending on your point of view :-)!) head of his. He wants so badly to be a big kid, but still has to deal with the emotions of being 6, starting first grade and figuring out what the rest of life will be like; more work than play, for the most part! He is always the first to throw his arms around me and tell me he loves me. Sometimes he is SOOOO grown up to me, and other times I still see that CHUMBA and I mean CHUMBA baby! One of my most favorite things about Garett is that he has nick names and EVERYONE calls him by them (I always wanted a nick name that was different than a horse "Mare"). G and Gman are what most people call him. The other day Logan's preschool teacher asked what his big brother's name was and he answered "G".

Next is Annie. My beautiful, independent, growing up WAY too fast little girl. The thing about Annie that I love the most is her desire to to what is right. Not just in church, but in life. She is honest, courageous, happy, smart, athletic, etc. While watching her listen to the speakers/draw pictures of the Savior, Joseph Smith, the Bishop, etc., I was overwhelmed with love for her and her strong, sweet little spirit. There actually was a time in my life where I worried if she and I would ever get along. It seems like so long ago (only 2 years, really), and yet, I hardly remember those days at all! She is so much like me in many ways, and still so different. She brings an abundance of happiness, love and laughter to our home!

Logan is our wonderer. The mischevious twinkle in his eye only hightens the minute the bishopric member stands up to start the meeting. He smiles at me with "that look"! The one that says, "I'm so cute, I'll get whatever I want and you can't stop me", and he turns around and starts waving, and making faces at all the people behind us that he knows. Today he spent most of his time drawing pictures of the Parker family who sits behind us. He draws one stick man, then gives it to Kim and says "this is for you...it's you". He goes down the line of their family giving each of them a custom made, personalized stick figure picture of themselves. The funniest part about it is that he does it EVERY SINGLE WEEK. They are such a fun family and they all love it. I'm sure after taking home a computer paper packet sized stack of stick figure pictures, they'll be ready for us to sit behind them instead of in front. Logan always keeps me on my toes and brings such a fun spirit to our family. Adam and I are always laughing our heads off about something he has said! It's hard to believe that he's my BABY and he's almost FOUR!!

Sometimes I think I take for granted the blessing it is to be a Mom. But when moments come, like they did today, I am so extremely thankful for each precious moment of fun, learning, love and joy that comes from being a mommy.

"What is Patriot Day?"

Last night Spencer and Annie asked Adam and I "What is Patriot Day?". Adam and I started to tell them about September 11th, 2001. It was strange to me because I really haven't thought about it for quite a while. While I snuck away to put Logan and Garett to bed, Adam took Annie and Spencer into the computer and looked up 9/11 on youtube. They watched in stunned silence and then spent some time talking to Adam about it. Asking questions like "Where were you when it happened?" "Did Auntie Laura live in New York then?" "Hold old were we?", etc. This morning while we were getting ready for school Garett, who had overheard part of the kids conversation with Adam the night before began asking me questions about it too. I pulled up the Youtube video to show him. He too, watched in silence. As I watched along with him I was surprised at how emotional I was. I haven't seen the video of the planes crashing or the towers falling for a really long time, and it brought back so much emotion. What a tragic day it was for our Country and for the world, but at the same time, it was a day that brought feelings of pride, gratitude and peace. It was a day that I felt, more than I ever had before, proud to be an American. The kids and I all decided to dress in Red, White and Blue in remembrance of those who lost their lives. Patriots day is a day that from now on, we will all remember with pride and gratitude!

Prayers...

I am constantly amazed by this whole "internet" thing and more specifically by the "blogging" thing. I came home from a Youth Conference testimony meeting tonight (yes, it's OVER!! It was everything we wanted it to be and I'll write about it in a few days after I decompress) and decided to read up on the past week of my favorite blogs. Little did I know about what I was getting in to. I read, on my friend Tara's blog, an entry she made a few days ago about a couple from Arizona who was in a plane crash in August. I vaguely remember hearing about it but didn't hear any of the details until tonight. Both the husband and wife (Stephanie and Christian Nielson) are in critical condition and in the trenches of a life or death battle. With a little hesitation (do I want to have a good cry tonight?) I clicked on the link to the wife's sister's blog and was instantly absorbed in reading their story. They have four children under the age of 6, they are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are avid BYU fans and they have an AMAZING extended family supporting and loving them and praying for them. Through the sister's blog, thousands of people have read their story. It is one of love, hope, service, endurance and faith. Be prepared to laugh and cry as you read, but ultimately to be inspired by their continuing story. Whether you decide to read the blog or not, please remember this sweet family in your prayers. The blogging world never ceases to amaze me. Complete strangers are praying for each other and the prayers are helping to support and sustain people in need. (Click the ORANGE words above to link to the different websites)

BUSY! BUSY!! BUSY!!!

WOW has life been busy for us around here! I thought that with the kids back in school things would slow down for us! I have quickly found out that I was sorely mistaken. Things are even more busy that ever. Every night of the week we are on the go from the minute the kids get home till about 7:30 at night. Then we eat a quick dinner and the kids literally fall into bed, unless they fell onto the couch before making up the stairs to bed...

Logan crashing on the couch while watching a little of the Olympics!

Annie. Wasted!

Between homework, piano, football, soccer, tae kwon do, scouts, activity days and eating dinner, we are on the move constantly. I used to think that as the kids got older, things would slow down, again, me, sorely mistaken. Despite the chaos of it all I am secretly loving it. I love that my kids are active, I love that they are enjoying their activities and I love watching them learn and grow.

The past few weeks have obviously been quite eventful but here is a simple rundown of what we've been up to!

PRINTING PRACTICE
To start, I've been a bit disappointed with the writing program at my kids school, and more specifically with the way they teach printing. I remember growing up and printing EVERY SINGLE DAY, first grade through 4th. And not just printing to write a story, but actual printing, you know:
A A A A A A A A A
a a a a a a a a a a a
Adam ate an apple and aggravated his Adam's apple!

We would do our letters over and over and over again. When I was in second grade, if your printing was nice and neat you got to start learning cursive. (I wasn't ever good enough and had to wait until 3rd grade). Anyway, Spencer and Garett have terrible printing. Garett because he's still learning and Spencer for many reasons but mostly because he's always in a hurry. I tell him all the time that he will get bad grades if his printing doesn't improve but his teachers still give him A's on his papers. DRIVES. ME. NUTS. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and went to the teachers store and bought a bunch of stuff, turned my Dining Room into a mini classroom and my kids now have morning "Printing Practice". Annie's printing is quite neat, but I have her doing it too just so she can get even better. I thought the kids would rebel against this new part of our morning routine, but they have loved it and after only a week and a half are getting better!






SCOUTS
The next event this month has been working on Spencer's Scouting. Usually at this time of year I pull out his book and realize that with only 3 more months til his birthday that we have a TON to do for him to earn his next Cub Scout badge. This year things are a bit different. He is a Webelo Scout, working towards earning both his Webelo badge and his Arrow of Light, both of which he needs to have before becoming an 11 year old scout. This summer we were really good at passing things off and at August Pac Meeting he earned his Webelo and only has a few more things to do to get his Arrow of Light! I'm so happy that we won't have to rush through it and cram it all in before his birthday! It will all be done by the end of this month!
Spencer receiving his WEBELO Pin
Good Job Spence!

LOOSE TOOTH
Garett has DESPERATELY wanted to lose his first tooth. With friends (and cousins) all around him losing their teeth he has been getting pretty depressed that none of his had fallen out yet. That all changed this week as he came to me and said, "Mom, I think my tooth is wiggly?" I felt it and sure enough it was. I told him if he wiggled it all day for a few days it would be ready. That night at bedtime he insisted that I try to pull it with floss. I knew it wasn't ready but with his persistence finally gave in and tried. True to my teeth pulling experience, I was right and it would come out. He was soooo sad but resolved to wiggle and wiggle it all the next day! By the next night it was ready and we popped it right out! To say he was excited is an understatement! I think in his mind he thought he had finally arrived and life could now start! It was soooo cute to watch him jump around the room with excitement! Little does he know that the next few years he'll look awkward as his toothless smile turns into a goofy, big teeth grin! I love it!

YIPEE, IT's OUT!!!
A Wholey Grin!
See the spot Mom, see it?