Our fan-frickin-tastic summer vacation

Oh my goodness, was it ever a fantastic vacation! We had so much fun. We actually had lots of little trips crammed into one big trip. We started off by going to Laughlin with Adam's family and Uncle Ethan's boat. Then I drove to California while Adam headed home to work for a few days. After a few days with Kenny and Janna, I went to San Diego to spend a few days with my friend Kirsten. Adam flew back to Cali for a a surf trip with his buddy Andy. Then we all met up on the beach for a final hurrah with our friends the Thomsons and some radical boogie boarding. Not a lot of down time on the trip but the jam packed good times were just what we needed. My kids were basically in their swim suits the whole time, so I'm way surprised at all the dirty laundry I have. Actually, maybe more angry than surprised.

Let the good times roll.
Laughlin... Yep, he's totally badical and radical.Good times with the Cummings family in San Diego...

Just the kids watching a movie. NBD.

We went to the beach with Kirsten and met my friend Heather there too. It's always so good to see the old crew.

Then we went to the beach again with the Thomsons. This was our last day and Mason was so done. He spend the whole two hours like this. I think he was cold and was trying to warm up with the hot sand.And then the long, long, long drive home. Oh yes, it was long. It was also pretty funny and I think I have like 60 photos alone of us in the van. I may have to share some of those another day.

McKay's First Tri!

Here are the pics from McKay's very first race. Thanks Devin!

It was so fun to see that little man so determined to do this race. He was pretty nervous/scared the whole morning leading up to it but once it started, he had some serious spirit. How freaking cute is he in his tiny little tri-suit!!

He did the whole swim on his back because the water was so cold he didn't want to put his face in it.Sprinting to the finish...

Adam, his sister Hollie, and sister-in-law Devin, all did a race that same day. McKay kept telling us the kids should have gone first because adults have more patience.I love it!

The joys of raising four boys...

Maybe Adam should not be watching chemistry video's on youtube. Here is what I get when he does...

I love that right at the end he tries to get into the house but is so excited he doesn't know where to go. Seriously??!! Is he like 12 or what?? Sadly enough, he still melts my heart with such antics. His laugh in this video just makes me so happy.

And what post is complete without some cute pics of Carson?

Summer starts!

So for me, summer officially starts when the races start. Adam does triathlons and when we start going to those, it officially feels like summer. I love going to his races!! It's fun for me to watch him and it's fun for me to watch the kids cheer him on. It's basically good times all around.

But first, one quick thing. McKay did have a totally cute end of year program at school, which I only got this one good picture of. Both my video camera and regular camera died right after I got there. I was SO not happy about that, so try not to rub it in.Now on to the race! This race was the Salem Springs Tri. He did it with his good friend Justin Blair. It was a really fun race and really quick too! They both finished with fast times. It's a nice way to start the season.

Swim....

Bike....

Run...

It's always fun to be there with Justin's wife, Melissa, and their kids. Her sister-in-law came too and there were kids galore. Seriously, if you've never been to a race before, you should come to one sometime. They are pretty awesome. Adam also just did the Provo Tri last weekend. Have I mentioned how bad I am at remembering my camera? I'm sure I have. I might have forgotten it again. This time it was especially sad because McKay did his first Triathlon! It was so stinking cute and I am so proud of him! Luckily lots of other family members took pics, so I'll post those when they send them to me! (Devin...that would be you)

Just a quick thought.

Today just happens to be a busy day around the house. I have 17 million loads of laundry to wash and about the same in dishes. I have bathrooms to clean and floors to vacuum and sweep and mop. Then I have the 17 millions loads of laundry to fold and put away. On top of all that I have gotten way behind on homework (online classes are nice like that) and can't quite get motivated to do what I need to. Days like this make me feel like I'm nowhere near the mom I want to be. I get bummed and then I bag everything I should be doing and play video games with the kids. Frick.

Right around lunch time, I was hitting the part where I feel totally overwhelmed and discouraged. I made quesadillas, which both kids asked for and then promptly refused to eat after they were made. I gave up and took Carson down to take a nap. I tucked him and gave him kisses (which he only allowed because I said he could keep his juice cup with him) and then started to head out. Mason came in right then and ran over to give Carson hugs and kisses too. As they were hugging and loving each other, I was totally glad that I am at least doing something right with my kids. Then, Mason stopped hugging and Carson just looked at him and said "Now get out Mason."

Ahhhh..... and back to the laundry/homework/cleaning/everything else I go.

I adore the man I married

So these pics make me laugh right out loud. Adam got a new helmet and when he tried it on, I happened to have the camera right in my hand. He was sure nice to keep right on posing for picture after picture. No one tell him that I posted them on here. He might not like it.
The red kool-aid on the shirt makes them that much better. Oh man, and that mustache! These are just so good!

McKay's day for sharing

In McKay's class the teacher assigns each kid a day to do sharing (it's A LOT like show-and-tell). She usually gives them three topics to pick from and they share something about that topic. McKay's day was today and his topics were the desert, spring or a special friend. When I asked him on Monday what he was going to take for sharing he said "I already know mom. I'm going to take Mason. He's my special friend" Darn cute. For a minute, Adam and I tried to talk him into taking a picture of the glow in the dark scorpion they found while camping because we didn't think his teacher would want him to bring his brother. Then I thought, that's so amazing that he loves his little brother enough that he wants to take him for show and tell. He wasn't real excited about the scorpion thing so I told him i would think about it. He asked me every few minutes until I left for school and then took up with telling Adam about it until bed time. On the way to school I told my mom about it and decided to do it. The teacher would be fine with it, right?

So this morning at like 6:30, McKay comes running into my room asking if he could "share Mason." He was so happy when I told him he could. I am so glad that they are such good friends and that McKay adores his brother so much. I totally got all teary as he sat in the front of his class and told his friends how much he loves his little brother and all the fun things they do together.

Oh...here is the scorpion picture. This is what they look like when you hold them under a black light. Totally weird.