Thursday, July 12, 2012

Fourth of July 2012





This has to be one of the most memorable fourth of July's ever. We decided to get the gang together and go to bolling Air Force Base. Our friend Joanna does this every year with her family. It is across the river from the Washington monument. I like to think of it as a little well kept secret. We got down there with the pfeiffers, the foutzs, and the fingers. There is a pool that the kids loved. There was a water slide, a rock wall, and a diving board. We cooled off there for a few hours. Then got all showered and cleaned up. We headed over to the spot were David and nick had claimed our spots earlier while we were swimming. We brought a grill and grilled dinner.

Bolling Air Force base is across the Potomac river( I think that's the river). So we could see the Washington monument, and the capital. There weren't allot of people at all. The kids had fun just playing on the grass. We had the luxury of seeing the fireworks at the monuments with out all the traffic. It was so so awesome. I am so glad that we did this. It will definitely be one that I remember for a long time. It doesn't get more American then being able to see the national fireworks.
Such a cute boy

The best I could get of all three of them

The girls


Brooklyns BFF Kyla



Seriously one great day

Sunday, June 17, 2012

All Day Date




For Davids birthday I wanted to do something other then dinner and a movie. My awesome forever friend Angela watched the kids all day for us. We went into DC to the holocaust Museum, had a picnic on the lawn by the Jefferson memorial, then went to World War 2emorial and the Lincoln memorial. It was a great great day. It was neat to see those things that we haven't seen. The museum was amazing. Definitely very sombering and a one time visit. All the memorials are so neat. I love just being down there with all the history. It was a great way to celebrate David. He is the greatest. I am so lucky to have him. It was a great day spent just the two of us. We are good about making date night a priority but this was a great reminder for both of us why 9 years ago we  made the two of us forever.
World war 2 Memorial
World war 2 Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

World War 2 Memorial


Just US

View from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Summer 2012

Ready for the Pool


Well it is official summer started and I am loving it. School got out after memorial day that was weird for me. I am used to school getting out memorial day weekend. Landon and Brooklyn did great. They both had wonderful teachers, met some great friends, and grew so much. So now that we have summer it is all about playing and the sun. No schedules just play play play.
Daddy and the gang
Brooklyn had a weekend away with her friend Kyla at mimis house.

Feeding Ducks
New Jets Shirt equals one happy boy



Water day the last day of school

Schools Out

Love these three
Ready for the Pool

Sports Fun Run
Baseball Game

Playing at Bass Pro shop for free summer activites

2012 White House Egg Roll

White house Egg roll 2012


Have I said before that there is so much to do out here? Well a friend of mine Joanna knows everything about everything. She knows when all the good activities are happening. She lives out here she is on our ward and she is just awesome. She shared a link for the white house egg roll lottery. You fill out an application online. It is a lottery system so you are notified if you were selected. Well well well we were selected to go. I was so so so excited. I was excited I was telling my friends and some of them had said that they had filled the application out this year and previous years and hadn't gotten picked. I was so so grateful to have luck on our side and we could go.


Well our time slot was 7:30-9:30am. So we got up super early, got all ready, and drove to DC. It was awesome there was no traffic that early in the morning. We parked and started heading over to the white house. We checked our tickets through, then went through security and then we followed the line and the the next thing I know we are entering the gates of the white house lawn. As we were walking onto the lawn we passed the security for the celebrities and important people. We saw chyna from nickelodeon walk by us. Brooklyn was so excited.


As you walk onto the lawn there are any character you can think of. We saw all the PBS characters, the chipmunks, power rangers, sponge bob, a princess, Dora, Diego, some other nickelodeon characters, and many more. There are different activities to do on the lawn. There is an obstacle course, story time with characters, picture taking, and the famous egg roll with a wooden spoon. On the other side of the lawn there is more activities to do with the first Lady's campaign for healthy eating.
We had story time with Mr Gordon from sesame street and abby-ca-dabby. We then went to do the egg roll, then the obstacle course. Brooklyn went to story time with one of her favorite people from a nickelodeon show. Her name is Cecilie from shake it up. A.K.A Bella thorne.   Brooklyn was right on the front row and answered some questions she asked. She was so excited. We headed over to the other side of the lawn we only had about 20 minutes left in our time slot. We went to the PAAS station and decorated and egg and we saw Al Rocker. They had some really fun activities like make your own jump rope, play tennis with characters, and different booths on growing your own garden and healthy eating.


As we left the event the kids were given  a wooden egg with the president, first Lady's signatures and a symbol on the egg for the 2012 White house egg roll.
It was one of the neatest experiences I have ever had. To be 5 feet away from the white house. I kept thinking I wonder who is looking out at the windows at us? It was such a fun experience to be able to take the kids. To have them be at ages were they will remember it. I look back through the pictures and it doesn't even skim the awesomeness it. It was a great experience that I will ever be grateful for.
Madagascar
Mr Gordon, Elmo and Abbey-ca-dabby
The famous egg roll

Al Rocker

Egg Roll

Power Rangers

Egg Roll



Monday, May 7, 2012

Random

Back at christmas santa gace me an Iphone I finally took the time and put the pictures up on our
computer. Here is just a collection of some.


                                                         Dawson loves being in his underwear
Girls trip to utah for a week just me and these great mom and sistees
Horse back riding at the famiily fun fair


Brotherly Love

A day at the National ZooF

Easter Sunday 2012
Kids zumba at the gym


 

Friday, May 4, 2012

Dance, Soccer and Tball

These pictures are going to speak for themselves. The kids are all involved in spring sports right now. It makes our weeknights busy but the kids love love it. Brooklyn has a few more weeks with dance. She is loving it. Landon and Dawson love Tball. Me and David are definetly proud parents on game day.

First game of Soccer

Tball

After the first game. Landon and his best buddy austin talking about the game
Material Girl for her dance performance
Landon running into home plate




13.1 Oh Yeah!!

I did it! I finished!

So after you run 9.2 whats another 4 right? Well that was mine and my good friends courtneys mentality after we did the hot chocolate race in december 2011. So we signed up for the Rock n Roll half marathon in washington DC. They call it the rock n roll because there is music at each mile.
So I got a training schedule from my very good friend shrilyn, got some new running shoes and hit the pavement. We had three other friends do this with us. We would train by ouselves usually during the week then on saturdas we would do our long runs together. Our friend joanna had already ran a half marathon so she was following a different program and leah had some knee problems. So on saturdays it turned out to be the three amigos Me, angela, and courtney. It turned more into our saturday therapy sessions.

The race was held on st patricks day March 17 2012. We had to get our green out and spice up our running outfits. We made green and white tutus. We didnt run in them but it was all worth it for the photo opportunity before.

I told david that I really wanted him and the kids there at the end. So he would be in charge of getting the kids ready and down to the race with some of the other husbands.  He was awesome and didnt even skip a beat and said of course we will be there. I bought a huge bag at sams club of the mini cadbury eggs that come in the purple bag. They are my favorite and that was my end of the race treat.
So race day morning we road the metro to the start. We got into our time coral and were all set to go. It was awesome joanna was going to bear a time so she took off.  Leah had her knees bothering her so she stayed with us for about 8 miles. The three amigos stayed right with each other the whole time. It was a neat experience since it was in DC they closed the roads we were running on. We ran past some of the monuments and the potomac river. There were some hills which I like. I felt really good the whole time. I really didnt want to walk at all. I had said since the day we signed up I just want to finish but in the  back of my mind I really had a time set. I wasnt focusing to much upfront about it but I really wanted to get a good time. So as we got around mile 11 i thought okay I am done. I just needed a boost. So l called david and just hearing him gave me the boost. We only talked for like 15 seconds but just knowing that in minutes I would see him and the kids. That this huge accomplishment would be over. That all the early saturdays running and the other training I did would be paying off. That in a matter of minutes I could say I did it.
As we got closer to the finish the adrenaline and energy was awesome. We crossed the finish line and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment, pride, happiness, tired, exitement, hunger, thirsty, joy. Our finish time was 2hours and 30 min. That is exactly the time I wanted.

Nothing was better then turning the corner at the end and seeing david and the kids. It was awesome.
I am so so glad that I did this. I am so greatful for my friends for doing it with me. The last year or so I have thought I wanted to a half marathon. So it was so encouraging to me to set my mind to something and do it. I am so lucky to have david that encouraged me and did whatever he needed to do so I could get my runs in. I have a 13.1 sticker on my car and everytime I see I think about the whole experience and how proud of myself I am.
At the race expo the day before the race

Leah, Joanna, courtney, angela, and me

                                                                           Me and courtney




                                                               Me and David at the end

Not the best family picture but glad we were all there