Aaaaahhhhhhh!

Sawyer has his driving permit....need I say more?!?

"Outside My Window"

Bailey had her spring guitar recital. She played and sang, "Outside My Window" by Sara Buxton. It was her first time performing without her music in front of her, so she was really nervous. She did a great job. There were a few little slip ups, but she was so cute! Sawyer had to take some time off from guitar because he had Driver's Ed right at the same time. He'll start back up as soon as we're back from vacation.

"Outside My Window"

Bailey's first 10K!

Bailey, Kassie and I have been running everyday to get ready for a 10K (and some other runs we are doing this summer). It's so great for me to finally have people to run with. Bailey was very dedicated, and all her hard work paid off. She ran the 10K, and did great! She was the only one under 18 years old that ran the 10K, and she did it in 57:58! I'm VERY proud of her.

I have to tell a funny little story about her. There was also a 5K run. We all started together, but when the 5K people were at their finish line, the 10K runners had to do another loop. Bailey is very competitive, so at the start she was looking at the color of the other kid's numbers. All the other kids were running the 5K. Well, about half way through the first loop, this girl that was about her age passed us, and smirked up at her mom (like haha, we're gonna beat that girl). It drove Bailey CRAZY! She wanted to chase the girl down and pass her. I had to grab her by her shirt and explain to her that she had a long way to go (twice as far as that girl). It still drove Bailey crazy, so when we passed the finish line for the 5K, Bailey WAVED at the girl as we started our final lap. She wanted to make sure she knew that she was running 6.2 miles, and not just 3! It was a 'laugh out loud' moment for me. I knew she was competitive, but geesh!

The start

Making faces at Mark

Yay! We did it!

Jon Schmidt Concert

Mark and I went to a Jon Schmidt piano concert with Jenni and Keith. Most people would think a piano concert would be boring, and normally it probably would be. But not Jon Schmidt. He is AMAZING, funny, and very entertaining.

Performing the Dumb Song

Happy 15th B-day Sawyer!

Wow, Sawyer is 15 years old! That does not seem possible. For his birthday, he got a mountain bike, and an i-tunes card. We can't wait to take some rides this summer. Hopefully we can try out some of the trails in Yellowstone.

We had Sawyer's party on Sat. night. We did a backyard movie night, and luckily the weather was perfect. We rented a big blow up screen, speakers, and a projector. It was so cool. I totally want to buy one now. We told all the kids to bring a camp chair and a blanket. They came over from 9:00 til midnight. We watched Cool Runnings, and the kids were surprisingly mellow during the movie. Before and after the movie was a totally different story. Seventeen teenagers, lots of food, a trampoline, and a Michael Jackson mask can get a little wild and crazy (good thing we have good neighbors). Sawyer has great friends, and we are very grateful for that. They know how to have a great time, but it's always just good, clean fun. Happy birthday Sawyer! We hope it was great!

The giant movie screen!

Popcorn anyone?

Yummy sandwich!

Crazy kids!

Watching the movie.


Michael Jackson

Tidbits

17 Years

Mark and I celebrated our 17th anniversary on Sat. We had a nice relaxing day...until we thought Bailey got kidnapped (but that's a whole nother story). It's so fun to think back on our 17 years of marriage. So many adventures and memories! I wouldn't trade away a second of it. I've loved the journey so far, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead for us.

Bailey Got Lost
This had to be the scariest moment of my life. It makes me sick to my stomach to just think back on it. On Sat. I got up early and ran 5.5 miles with Kassie. Bailey and Sawyer needed to do the run too, but they didn't want to get up that early. So, later on in the day, we piled everyone in the truck and headed to Freeman Park. Mark took the dogs, and headed to the Greenbelt via the floating docks short cut. I was on my bike, since I had already ran earlier. Sawyer and Bailey were both running. They had to take a lap around Freeman Park before heading toward the Greenbelt. Sawyer was faster than Bailey, so I was just riding my bike back and forth between them. Sawyer got to the point where he had to turn and head out to the road that would take him to the Greenbelt. I told Bailey I would be right back, and I headed up to Sawyer to make sure he knew to turn, and where to go from that point. It was maybe 300 yards in front of where Bailey was running. I couldn't have been gone for more than 45 seconds. When I headed back to Bailey, she wasn't there. I didn't panic yet...I thought maybe she ran faster than I thought, and passed the turn, and kept going around the loop. I took off on my bike to find her. I rode all the way around Freeman Park again, and there was no Bailey in sight. Now I was getting worried. There was one more possibility...maybe she went the same way Mark had gone, and took the floating docks to the Greenbelt. I asked a lady who was standing at that turn off if she had seen a little girl run by. I described what she was wearing, and the lady said she had been there for a long time, and no one had come by. She asked if she should call the police, and I told her not yet. Now the panic was setting in. I rode as fast as I could to Sawyer, who had just caught up with Mark. I told them I couldn't find her anywhere. Mark could tell I was about to lose it. He left me with the dogs, and he took the bike back to try and find her. Mark went one way, and Sawyer went another. I was left walking the dogs back, by myself. This is when I really started freaking out. I thought for sure she had been taken by someone. I was letting my mind run wild on me. Not a fun 15-20 minute walk back. It seemed more like hours. No one was coming to tell me anything, so I just knew the police were on their way, and everyone was still looking. FINALLY I saw Mark coming on the bike. It seemed like he was going so slow. I didn't know if that's because they found her, or because he didn't want to tell me that they hadn't. He finally told me that they found her, and that she was with Sawyer. That's when I lost it. I totally broke down and started bawling. We still don't know exactly what happened. She just kept running around Freeman Park over and over. After a while, she started crying because we weren't coming back. She was smart enough to stay in Freeman Park, because she was familiar with that loop. She saw our truck from a distance, so she headed across the grass toward it. Mark went to the truck first, so he saw her coming. We still can't figure out where she got off the path though, because I had gone all the way around the park on my bike when I first couldn't find her, and she wasn't there. After we found her, we ran around again, trying to figure out where she had gone, and she is sure she never left the path. Strange! For about 30 minutes, I got a small glimpse of what parents must feel like when their children go missing. My heart aches for them in a whole new way. It was horrible! Luckily it all turned out just fine!

Mother's Day

Like always, I got pretty spoiled on Mother's Day. The Young Men and the Primary got to sing a song to the Moms in church, so that was fun. I got a Crop-a-dile (a scrap booking tool that I have wanted for awhile). I was plenty happy about that, but then I got ANOTHER present. I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble. To me, that's like being a kid in a candy store. I was so excited! I didn't have to lift a finger all day. I even had my dinner made for me. I love a lot of things, but being a mom is what I love the most. My 2 cute munchkins make it an easy job to love.

Bailey decorated and sent me on a treasure hunt that she made up. She even made me brownies all by herself.

So silly, but that's why I love them!

Hippie Day
Sawyer had to dress like a hippie to get extra credit in history. I found this funny little hippie shop downtown, and of course I had to stop in to check it out. They had everything we needed to get him all outfitted.

Peace out dude!

Bye Bye Braces!

Bailey got her braces off. She had one day of freedom, and then she got her retainer. She kept a container of all the candy she couldn't eat with braces on. When she got them off, she went to town. I finally told her that she had to put the candy away. What a goof!

Before

After

Bailey won a drawing at the orthodontist office, and won a moose Webkins. She was really excited!

Freezer Jam

I've been wanting to learn how to make freezer jam for a long time. Costco was having a really good sale on raspberries, so me and Kassie got some, and she taught me how to make it. Yum...it's so good!

Just an Update

Me and Bailey have been running a lot. She has been so dedicated...I am very proud of her. Our 10K is in 2 weeks, and she is going to do great. On days that I have to work, we get up early and run. There were several days that we had to be up at 5:50 in the morning, and one day we got up at 5:20. She doesn't even complain. She totally gets the concept that if you set a goal, you need to be prepared to work hard to achieve it. I LOVE that about her!


Another thing I wanted to mention, is that we got a sympathy card in the mail from the vet after Splat died. I thought that was the sweetest thing. They even called him by name in the card. I have always really liked the vet we go to. That was just a nice little extra thing they did, that made us all smile.


I have still been making a monthly craft. In April, me and Jenni made Post it Note holders. They turned out really cute, and they were really easy to make. I made three of them, for Bailey to give to her teachers as an end of the year gift. I can't wait to make more!

Post it Note Holders

And lastly....26 days til we leave for Florida! We can't wait!