Summer in a nutshell!

Reader beware: this is a long post. Wow, we have had a very fun and busy summer. Now that it is over I guess I should go back and mention some of the highlights. The month of June was spent playing soccer and going to dance class. Luke and Eliza both played soccer on different teams but unfortunately their games were at the same time. So Mike and I had to divide up and take turns watching them play.



They both had lots of fun and looked really cute in their uniforms. Eliza loved playing goalie and had a few great stops.



Eliza took a summer dance class in Menan, a little town 15 minutes outside of Rigby. She absolutely loved it. She was the best in her class. The boys and I would play outside during her class. They could throw rocks in a river for 45 minutes straight. She had a recital at the end of it all loved being on stage. Unfortunately we only took video not pictures that night. At the end of June we had a visit from the Benson family. We love having cousins come to see us. We had fun with water fights and playing basketball in the yard. We went to Heise Hot Springs and had a great time.

July

We were out of town almost every weekend in July. We love going to the family cabin every year. Playing with cousins is the best. We stayed up late playing games, hiked, walked in the water, jumped on the tramp, and ate yummy food. It is always so much fun. A few weeks later I went to SLC with the kids to visit Nana after her surgery. We got to stay with the Nigburs and the Cooks. Thanks so much, we love coming to visit. We went swimming with most of the cousins and had a blast.



I think Eliza went down the big water slides about 100 times. JJ and Luke loved the kiddie slides too.



Mike took Eliza and Luke golfing, they are actually pretty good. They both hit a ball over a little river, most impressive.



I think riding on the cart and just being with Dad was their favorite part.



Our annual Griffiths family trip was in Bear Lake this year. We rented a little cabin on what was supposed to be the beach but the lake was very high. So we drove to the north beach and spent the day playing in water and sand got everywhere.





Luke would just lay in it and play.



JJ loved throwing rocks and sticks in the water.



Eliza loved going on the tube behind the boat. She was so brave and actually liked falling off. She took turns riding with dad, Abby, Brennan, and Cameron.



Luke also went on with me. I was nervous, that thing is hard to balance. I asked to stop before we tipped. We hiked the Minnetonka caves and had a great time with cousins.



The last weekend in July was the Spudman Triathlon. This year Grandpa Dennis joined in the fun. He did a fantastic job!





Mike's time was better than last year, way to go! We had a great time with friends and watching Mike and Dennis compete.



August

August was the hottest month of summer. To beat the heat we went played with the sprinkler under the tramp and in our little kiddie pool. We also went to swimming pools. We went to Heise Hot Springs again, Rexburg Rapids twice, and the spray park in Rexburg lots of times. They get soaked and love it!



I usually forget my camera when we head out to the water, but here a few fun photos.





We also went to Rigby Lake several times. Each time I thought why don't we come here more. It is so close and so fun. Eliza loves to swim out to the floating dock and go down the slide. She is so brave, she does it all by herself. The boys could dig and play in sand for hours. Of course, I forgot my camera and have no pictures. One weekend in August we took a little trip to Huntsman Springs in Driggs, Idaho. We stayed in a gorgeous house, the Nigburs and Grandma and Grandpa came with us.



The boys played lots of great golf on a beautiful course.



The cousins played and rode bikes.



We took a chair-lift ride to the top on Grand Targhee ski resort and had a great view of the Teton mountains. The kids had fun exploring and dancing high on a mountain top.



We also drove into Jackson Hole and watched a cowboy shoot-out show.



Then Grandma and Grandpa came back to spend a night with us in Rigby.



We are so glad we have the chance to do fun things with our family. It sure made for a memorable summer!

Race Day

Last year some time Mike got this crazy idea from our friends in Hailey that he should run a marathon. So just after Christmas he started his 4 month training for the Salt Lake Marathon on April 16th. I have to admit I was impressed. He really stuck with his training and was doing really well. He was getting in great condition and was able to run long distances like 16-18 miles. Then in the beginning of March his left foot started to bother him when he ran. Then it got to the point when it hurt just to walk, so running was out of the question. He self diagnosed the problem as a stress fracture. He got new shoes and tried taping his foot. But the only real cure was rest when he was supposed to be running 20 miles every Saturday. So he rested and was really worried that he would not be able to run the marathon. When race day came he decided to try and see what happened. To be honest I did not think he should run. I was not sure he was going to be able to finish. I knew he was in pain with just walking and he had lost some conditioning while resting his foot for the last month. But he wanted to to do it anyway. He said he would call me from one of the aid stations if he had to stop. I saw him on the course at mile 4 in the intersection of 2100 South and 2100 East. He looked great and was running with his buddy Brad. Mike is wearing a red shirt.





After that I did not get to see him because it was hard to time when he would get to a specific point on the course. So I went to the finish line and hoped for the best. I did not hear from him and just assumed he was fine. It was not until almost 5 hours later that his buddy crossed the finish line and said they stayed together for the first 18 miles. So I knew he was going to make it, I just did not know when. Then I heard the announcer say Mike Griffiths from Rigby, Idaho. He had made it! His time was 4 hours and 59 minutes. It was not the time he had hoped for at the beginning of training but considering the circumstances he was happy just to finish.





The last 8 miles were torture. He had to stop every 1/2 mile because his right quad muscles would cramp up. He had adjusted his running to compensate for his bad left foot and therefore put more stress on his other muscles. He would walk and stretch and then run until the pain made him stop again. When he crossed the finish line he looked spent. But I was so proud of him! What an accomplishment! He was very sore and stiff the rest of the day and the next day. He looked like an old man trying to walk around. But now he can say he ran a marathon. Way to go Griff!



Eliza also had a race that same day. She ran in a Kid's Marathon 1K race. It was 0.62 miles and she ran the whole way. She said she even passed a 7 year old. She was so excited and even trained a few days before the race. She got a t-shirt and a medal for participating. Way to go Eliza, we are so proud of you! Thank you to Nana and Grandma Kay who came to support our runners and help with the boys. I would not have been able to do it without your help.

Happy Birthday Eliza!

Well it finally came after a long 30 day count-down, Eliza turned 6 years old. Eliza had decided what she wanted for her birthday months ago and we got those presents so she could not change her mind. She wanted Webkinz and mighty beans. She also wanted a new 2 wheel bike, she still has to learn how to ride without the training wheels. Her old bike was so tiny compared to this big one.



She wanted to have a party with her friends. We had it the Saturday before her birthday because Grandma and Grandpa were visiting. It was fun to have them at the party to celebrate with us and help with the boys. We had a great weekend with them.



We had the typical party with games, a pinata, presents, and goody bags. Eliza loved decorating for the party and she is very creative with her ideas. She also requested chocolate pie for her cake. I had never made it before but it turned out yummy.



Eliza got fun presents from her friends and grandparents and she was very grateful for all of them. She is such a sweetheart!



Today on her birthday she took chocolate donuts to school and her class sang to her. She got to wear a birthday sticker and crown. She helped me make pizza for dinner tonight and then we watched Tangled and ate cupcakes and played with her new toys. What a fun day!



Eliza is such a wonderful daughter. She is smart, funny, creative, kind, helpful, and beautiful. We love her so much and are glad she is part of our family!

Weekends Away

I have been lucky to go visit Salt Lake for the last 2 weekends. I forgot to take my camera the first weekend. Just Eliza and I came and stayed at the Cook's home. We walked to the park and went to a Utah Utes basketball game. The girls got pom poms and tried hard to get on the jumbo-tron dancing and cheering. I am glad we had the chance to go to a Utah game because it allowed Eliza to turn back into a Utah fan. Then we went to church with them and saw some of our old neighbors, it seems like forever ago when we lived there. Thanks Cam and Emily for the fun visit and being great hosts.

Then the next weekend Mike was out of town and I drove to SLC with the kiddos. We went to Chuck E. Cheese with most of the cousins, we were quite the crew. My kids have wanted to go for months. They all had a blast.



We spent that night with the Nigburs. It was an official sleepover because the kids stayed up late and slept in the rooms with their cousins.



Then we went to a fun park and the kids had a great time. JJ was so brave on all the slides. He went down on his tummy and on his bum. He also loved the swings.



JJ and Jack are 2 peas in a pod, they speak the same language.



They love getting to play outside, it was a nice spring day.





We also got to visit Grandma and Grandpa, the Stocks, and Great-Grandma Ruth. It was fun-filled day. We spent the night at Nana and Papa's house and the kids actually got to bed at a decent hour, they were exhausted. Thanks Nana and Papa for letting us stay and having fun with us. My kids love to play garbage can basketball with Papa and reading and playing games with Nana. It was a wonderful visit. We are so lucky we have such a great family!

Bye-Bye Baby Hair!

Jameson has such blond beautiful hair, it has been cute at least 5 times. If he were a girl he would have hair down to his shoulders. But he is a boy and I am constantly trimming it. I knew that I would have to eventually give him a big boy haircut and use the buzzers to go way short, but I did not have the heart to do it yet. So my brave and kind husband did it for me. It actually turned out great. I was out of town, otherwise I might never have let it happen. He also had to deal with the clean-up and bath afterward. Plus JJ was probably better behaved for his dad than he would have been for me. Here is the lucusious locks I had grown to love.



It was so long a few weeks before the haircut that I could put into 2 ponytails.



So here is our big boy JJ after his haircut! Doesn't he look so grown-up?

Happy Birthday JJ!

Jameson turned 2 years old last week. I can't believe my baby is getting so big! He is such a sweet boy and has such a fun and cute personality. He is learning to talk more everyday. He loves to wrestle and is very ticklish, we love to make him laugh. He loves to run around the kitchen with Luke and when Luke is done he stops and JJ comes over and pulls him back saying, "Fast, please." JJ loves to snuggle and give kisses. Eliza always wants to hold him, but he is just too busy to sit still. One day Eliza was laying on the couch and JJ came and laid on her belly. It was so cute but I was not fast enough to get a picture. We had a simple party with our little family. We made pizza for dinner and cupcakes for dessert. JJ opened his presents from his grandparents, they spoil him and he loves it!



Eliza made him a card and gave him $2.00. She is such a sweet girl.



When we sang Happy Birthday JJ almost touched the candles, it was a close call. When we told him to blow out the candles he closed his eyes and blew. It was funny!



When you ask JJ how old he is he says 2 and tries to put up 2 fingers but he doesn't quite get it right. But hey 2 hands is the same thing.



After a few minutes of eating his cupcake I guess he got tired and so he put it down and just ate it straight from the table. "Look mom, no hands!"





Jameson loves Toy Story. He will sit and watch the whole movie, any of them. I rotate between the 3 of them so he has some variety. He says, "toy toy tory, buzz." He especially loves buzz. We got him a buzz t-shirt, buzz jammies, and a buzz ride-on toy.



He loves the lights and sounds it makes. He rides it around the kitchen and also pushes it throughout the house. We love Jameson and appreciate the place he has in our family.

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas season this year and did many fun things. We went to a Christmas movie party with Mike's work and saw Santa. Grandma Kay and Grandpa Denny were visiting that weekend and so they came with us. We love it when they visit.



On Christmas Eve day we played in the snow in our front yard. We love having a white Christmas.





JJ got a kick out of throwing snowballs at Mike, he was laughing like crazy at Mike pretending to be hit.



That night we made cookies and toffee for Santa. We read stories and opened our jammies. It was nice low-key evening with just our little family. Eliza and Luke got to sleep together in Eliza's room that night. Eliza had such a hard time falling asleep because she was so excited. On Christmas morning JJ was the first awake at about 8:30. I love sleeping in, I am glad the excitement did not wake the kids up early. We had a great time opening presents. The kids got what they wanted from Santa and fun presents from grandparents. Eliza got a Baby-Allgone, an easy bake oven, and Webkinz.



Luke got boxing gloves, a remote control car, and a race track set.



JJ got a marble set and some toy cars.



Santa surprised our family with a Wii game system. The kids were very excited about that. The day was spent playing with toys and hanging out, we did not even get dressed. That night our friends the Johnsons came over for dinner. We had a fun evening with them. I love Christmas and the fun times we have together as a family. We were sad that we missed seeing our family in Utah so we made a trip to visit the week after Christmas for New Years. We hit some bad weather and snow on our drive and actually stopped in Ogden and spent the night in a hotel. We went to Fat Cats and played in the arcade and ate dinner. The kids loved staying in a hotel and then we safely continued our trip the next morning. We love coming to visit family in SLC and playing with cousins and grandparents.



We got to go sledding with the Raymonds and Nigburs. Thanks guys, it was fun. Eliza was a die hard. She and Hannah went down the hill dozens of times.





On New Years Eve we spent the night at the Bensons and played games until 2:00 am. Thanks for the fun games and laughs! Liza and Luke thought it was awesome to stay up until midnight with their cousins.



We also visited Great Grandma Ruth on our way out of town. She made us breakfast and the kids played with her Christmas village. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful family!