Neuse River

It gets so hot here during the summer that we find a variety of ways to stay cool.  

We've been enjoying the Neuse River right by our house...

 It never seems to get old.

A cheap inflatable kayak does the job...

Here is a video of how much fun Kamryn had...

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
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Max Kendall King

 I was able to fly out to SLC and then drive up the small farming town of Aberdeen, ID for my grandpa's funeral.  It was wonderful!

Here is the handsome Max Kendall King when he was in the Navy...

I was felt honored to share memories I had of Grandpa at the funeral:

• We all know Grandpa had a sense of humor.  It was portrayed vibrantly by the rock he kept in his kitchen, it said- "In case of fire, turn me over" and the other side said "Not now, stupid. I said in case of fire." He also put diluted orange juice in urine same cup when he was at the hospital.  When he was about to give it to her he said "now that doesn't look right"  he took a drink and handed the rest to her.  She about fainted.

• ·      We all loved when Grandpa put all the grandkids in the bucket of the tractor, lift it up, and driving around the farm

• ·      Grandpa would treat us grandkids to pennies to buy penny candy in town

• ·      Going fishing with grandpa was always a highlight. 

• ·      We all remember him taking us to the Aberdeen parades, even letting us ride his ponies in the parade

• ·      Digging up sugar beets with him, riding his horses

• ·      We all remember treasure hunting through his old house and his garage while he worked on something.

• ·      He was also as stubborn as they come- we all knew he was supposed to use his crutches, but the kids used them more than he did.

• ·      Bailing hay with him and often driving the truck and tractors before we had a license.  We might have all learned to drive with Grandpa.

• ·      Grandpa always seemed to be carefree, when grandma said no, we knew grandpa would say yes.  He would let us do all the fun stuff grandma thought was dangerous- like swimming in the canal behind the house or driving fast over on the road that goes over the canal (grandma would plead with him every time to slow down)

• ·      I remember grandpa quietly slipping me a $100 dollar bill, I wanted to assume it was because I was his favorite grandchild, but I am sure I was not the only one.  

• ·      When Jamie would visit grandpa he would always ask Jamie’s wife kamrah how her parents were.  Often he would ask a second time, not remembering he had already asked.  But it was a testament to how much he cared.

•           His favorite place to eat was Chuck-o-ramma, I never complained.

•            Grandpa was also a missionary to the core.   He had such a passion and love for sharing the gospel no matter where he went and who he spoke with. He knew how to share it in a way that showed his genuine love for each person so they could open their heart to it. You could tell it was such an important part of his life and that's why it was always a topic of discussion with whomever he came in contact with, whether it was nurses, doctors, caregivers, fellow patients, Royal Gorge storekeepers, neighbors, and especially his family. We always knew that when we couldn’t find him we would find him talking to someone about the gospel.  We all know that Grandpa has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. We are so excited that he is still sharing and teaching that gospel even now with his lovely companion.

I got so spend a long car ride with my favorite big brother and little sister (and without kids competing for my attention!)

 My dad and all his siblings next to my grandpa...

The farm house that I have countless fond memories in.  We went to the farm with my cousins almost every summer and we never got bored!

 All of my girl cousins that were able to attend decided it would be fun to have a photo shoot.  We dressed in grandpas work shirts and hats and posed on the old trucks.  This was one of just many amazing shots...

 We ate ate at a small grill in town before we left, I loved this sign and was tempted to take it home with me...

Grandpa, We love you and I'm sure you are running around for the first time in a long time!

Beginning and the End

Yesterday was an eventful day.  

This handsome and fun loving man had a birthday!

We sent him on a 33 step scavenger hunt that included all the things we love about him.

 My Grandfather died.  He has been my longtime hero.  I remember writing a report about him in 5th grade.  He was an amazing man and fearless missionary.  I remember visiting his farm in Idaho countless times as a kid.  I remember him taking us (me and all my cousins) for rides in the bucket of his tractor, he let me drive his truck before I had a license, he taught us how to bail hay (and many other farming skills), he let us dig around and play with his junk, and he would say yes behind grandmas back to just about anything.  Most of all I KNEW he loved ME.  I never doubted it.

 The cuttest park was that he was a huge tease!  Old men are so cute!

 I am grateful he now gets to see his beloved wife!  We love you grandpa!

Independence Day

We had a great 4th!  I found this wreath on the beloved Pinterest and knew I had to make one.  

 Kamryn loved the sparklers and watching fireworks for the first time (last year it was rained out.)

 We enjoyed the company of our friends for dinner and fireworks.  However, we could have done without the lost set of keys and glow in the dark bracelet solution getting in Dylan's eyes!

Dylan's First Track Meet

Dylan had crazy hair day his last week of school (a few weeks ago.)  He now wishes he could wear his hair this way everyday.  Surprisingly, it stayed all day long thanks to Jaz who recommended some amazing hair product!

The week after he got out he was in a running camp for a week and on the weekend there was a track meet.  Dylan is now a huge fan of competitive running.  Let's be honest, he is a fan of anything competitive.

Dylan ran a 100 and an 800.  Please excuse the crazy woman screaming in the first video.

He won his 100m heat by a lot, even though he was looking more at his competition than the finish line.

 He also ran the 800 with all boys ages 6-12.  Since he was the only boy in his age group running the 800, he automatically got 1st place.  I mentioned this to him before the race, he was of course pleased.  I didn't know if this would change how well he decided to run.

He placed 4th over all!!!  I just loved this picture because it is of the line of placers for the 800, the boy in purple on the right being first.  Just to give you an idea of how well he did.

He was really sad that he missed his hurdles (he said they were his favorite) because between races he had to go play his last flag football game- which they won in major overtime!

Whew.  And after all that, he said he still wasn't tired!

Father's Day 2012

I am sure this might sound redundant to many of my father's day postings, but I think this man...

Has turned out to be a pretty darn amazing dad if you ask me.  I know he might not look like it from this picture, but besides being a big kid at heart, he is an amazing example and teacher.  I couldn't have asked for a better man!  

This year has brought some new challenges with it.  Because Dylan is getting older, we are trekking into some unknown parenting places.  The way Connor handled these experiences has made me even more amazed by him and more grateful.  I know my kids will be in good shape, even though I often feel like a huge mess of a mom.

So here is what Connor got himself for Father's Day...

Since all my readers are big truck fans I am sure you could all tell from the picture.  NOT!  He got himself some new tires for his truck and a lift so they would fit.  I have noticed more men drooling as I drive by in it.  Can't say I understand it, but I love that he loves it!

And of course we treated him the best we could and made him wear his silly homemade tie (which I don't have a picture of, but you can get the idea of it by looking at the last two years.)

And of course I know he wouldn't be the amazing man he is without having such a great dad himself.  So thank you to Roger for setting the bar high!  And I am so grateful for my own Dad who has passed on some wonderful habits to me and who has always supported me in all that I have done.  I still remember the time I wrote one of my first papers at school, he spend hours with me.  It was then I knew how much he loved me and how smart he was!

Thank you to all the Dad's, who put their Father role first!

10 years

Can't believe it's been 10 years since Connor and I tied that knot!  It makes me feel old to say it, especially when I said it countless newlyweds on our trip to the Dominican Republic.  We have been so busy with the kids these last 8 years we haven't done much for ourselves so we decided to splurge.

My dad flew out from CO to stay with the kids.  I left him with a frozen meal for each night and Ashlyn and Dylan were still in school.  He passed with flying colors- when we got home the house was clean, the kids were  so tired from a week of constant fun!

He may look tired from a week with my kids, but really, this is how he always is so it's hard to tell if they really wore him out.  He did say it was easier than he had expected!

 We flew into a really cute airport...

We stayed in a dreamy resort.  The first day it was like we had to learn to relax.  Then by the end of the trip we were pros. 

 We went horseback riding...

 Tested our archery skills (let's just say mine are less dusty than Connor's!)

 I killed him in miniature golf too...

 But I let him have darts...

Connor got to enjoy watching some French Open while we played ping pong in these cute huts...

 We challenged the waves kayaking...

 We played tennis, but boy was it so hot and humid...  (and yes, he killed me)

 We took a ride up to the mountains to go on a zip line course...

 We went shopping and Walmart, Target, Kohls, Sears and Home Depot.  Lucky for us, they all had the same merchandise... (you may have to enlarge pictures to see the signs)

 We had fresh Mango and now I will never be able to eat anything less...

 He husked (if that is even the right word) a coco bean...

 That is a lot of work for a little bit of bean!  We then got to taste the authentic chocolate they make with it, BEST. CHOCOLATE. EVER!  And I am a chocoholic!

We ate dinner in the beach..

 And at a yummy Asian restaurant (and many other yummy restaurants)...

 We watched a few of the evening entertainment.  The Michael Jackson show was our favorite!

And yes, we did squeeze in there some laying at the pool, sleeping in, and taking naps when we wanted!

But the kids still are in denial that Papa Steve has to leave soon!!

Spring Catch Up

I know, I've been a blog slacker.  Just too many other fun things going on and not enough time to write about it.

We had a fun Cinco De Mayo party with some friends and neighbors.  We of course had yummy food, but the pinata was the big hit, literally!  There was a down pour so we had to do our pinataing (probably not a word, but I like the ring of it) in the garage.  Kamryn was thrilled by the idea of a pinata.

 Just for documentation purposes... A package came and I was slow on putting it away.  This is what I found after a long period of unusual quietness...Styrofoam was EVERYWHERE.  It was full of static so it clung to everyone and everything.  Therefore, it got tracked throughout my entire house as well.  Luckily, Corbin turned out to be a good cleaner and I kept my cool.

Hammer, Connor's cousin, came to town which is a great excuse to head to the beach.  Corbin had one thing on his mind...

 Flying a kite

 We enjoyed the sand, and we can't leave without making our traditional mermaids...

 These girls couldn't get enough of the waves, Dylan didn't let Hammer get out of a game of pass and I enjoyed watching this blissful day!

And of course, I never did post about Easter.  Nini picked out these adorable outfits...

 She brought them out when they came for Dylan's baptism.  So it was eating a hole in Ashlyn's closet for weeks.  She could barely stand it.

We never miss strawberry season.  This year was no exception.  The strawberries were exceptional and made exceptional jam. You can't tell, but Kamryn is CAKED in strawberries.  I had a difficult time picking strawberries and at the same time meeting her strawberry demand.  When she wanted a strawberry she would say "hey."

And we have been enjoying our friends and fun out door activities in Raleigh!  Especially Pullen Park.

Can you tell these two love each other?

I also had a fabulous Mother's day weekend.  I flew up to Boston and ran the Cape Cod Ragnar.  It was GORGEOUS!!!  And fun.  I think we cried from laughing more than once in our van.

I then got pampered by my family all day long!  A good day for recovery!

Cape Cod Ragnar

Check our my lovely mothers day weekend adventure at eaterswitharunningproblem.wordpress.com

Quest for Kona

Tomorrow my little brother, Jameson, is racing in the St. George Iron Man in hopes to qualify for the Hawaii Iron Man (the Boston Marathon of Iron Man's).  He has worked so hard and his YOUNG family has sacrificed so much for this event.  I have been so impressed to see him rise from a "non-runner," surpass me and become a national triathlete!  You can get an amazing background found on his blog here.  You can watch the St. George Iron Man live here starting tomorrow morning at 8:30 ET.  His bib number is 550 and he is wearing bright orange and white.  I am ever impressed by these amazing triathletes.  I don't know if I will ever have the desire to do an Iron Man, but I cry when I watch them cross the finish line!

Running

I have tried hard to keep my running posts to a minimum, but I had to share one thought.  I have come to realize what my most rewarding moment is when I go out running.   Here is where my "coach", Rachel, would say it is when I pass someone (especially if I pass them WHILE pushing a stroller, a double stroller is even better.)  She thinks I am crazy and obsessive.  I blame it on my brother who taught me the delicacies of competitiveness.  However, today I realized there is something I love even more than passing someone- it is when a fellow runner, running the opposite direction, stares me down, sees the heavy load I am pushing and gives me "that look"- you know, the one that says "well done!"  Some will share confident and uplifting comments to me as I pass.  One guy gave them the hang loose sign.  Thrilled.  In that moment I feel pretty darn good about myself.  You know those moments you need, the ones where you can say "I did something hard today that not every mother of four can do."