Friendly Competition

It started with golf balls.  I decided that I wanted to lose 20 pounds by the time July came around the first of May.  My brother-in-law (Nate) decided to do a support system and join me.  It's been going good.  I'm seven golf balls down.  The move has been rather hard and stressful on me.  I haven't worked out like I had in the past and I still hadn't dropped all of the baby weight.  This past week I started Insanity and jump-roping to help become active again.  This golf ball thing, this was not a challenge.

But then Nate decided to challenge me, on my birthday, to a double under or double jump challenge.  He told me to YouTube Buddy Lee and then watch and learn how to do a double jump.  Then, knowing I'm competitive, told me his record for double unders is 33, and told me I couldn't beat it.  I hate being told I can't do something.

So I started trying the double under last Saturday.  I got 7 in a row on my first day.  I figure by the time I get back from my vacation in August I will have that record smashed!  

I really only have a small competitive side in me. 

Five is a handful!

On Memorial Day, I took the challenge to try to take my kids' pictures. I had forgotten the work that this entailed.

Its quite the job to get five children to look at the camera.....

and smile.....

without making a funny face, 

 

or standing funny,

or even pouting, all while focusing and working the camera.

I may or may have not let a certain someone play with a stick to make them happy.

I have forgotten how much babies hate grass.

But, I think I was able to capture a few that will work, for now.

I also love how Kielle still sticks her tongue out all the time.  How I love these kids!

Loving our Missed Ones

A lot of things have happened since I have last posted.  I think a year has almost passed.  A lot has happened time.  Some good, some bad, some hard, some happy, and some sad.  But I think it's time that I start posting again. 

With that being said, a move in September last year took us to our new home in Western New York.  I'm still not sure how I feel about it but this is where my family is.  Enough said.  With us being in the East and family in the West, it makes it hard to participate in all the holiday festivities.  I miss that.

When I was a kid I remember going to my grandparents graves and putting flowers on their headstones.  I would do that in the morning with my mom and then go to our annual Smith BBQ.  Even while we were living in Idaho somehow we always managed to be in Utah on Memorial Day.  My kids very rarely went to the last day of school.

This Memorial Day wasn't the normal.  I couldn't visit my dad's grave and I couldn't participate in my family's lunch.  We made some great memories with friend's here but I wanted to do something to honor my dad.

So the girls and I decided to play and sing the song that was sung at my dad's funeral.  He has always loved the mountains and had lived in Utah his whole life.  So this song says it best.  Hope you enjoy.  It's definitely not performance quality but its the memory that makes it special.

More to come: New header and new family kid pictures!