the famous idaho potato half marathon

 the day i'd been training for finally came

nothing like hardly sleeping because you have anxiety

only to wake up at 5am and get ready to run 13 miles

 my sweet hubby dropped me off which was the best so i didn't have to ride the shuttle

and so nice he could since his parents were here

 all ready to go 

 at the start line

 michael was the sweetest and stopped to wait for me at the first water station

it was between mile 2 and 3

 it was so sweet and supportive of him

and i loved getting my water from him

despite knowing i was super ready for the race physically 

it still felt hard and hot and long

but it was good

 spotting the fam :) 

 almost done

 phew! my legs totally cramped afterward

 seeing these cuties at the end was the best

 aren't they the cutest with their signs?

 and this guy!

michael is the most supportive husband

we were both bummed he couldn't run it with me but it was good to run it by myself

for the first time

and seeing him at the finish line couldn't have been any better

he's the best

i love him and i'm so grateful for how well he supports and loves me

i had been considering a full marathon lately

but then the half felt hard enough

my legs cramped, my hip hurt 

i walked the rest of the day like i was 10 months pregnant

and i think i'll take a little break

it was hard and i'm not fast

but i did it! after 5 kids, i did it!

hooray!!!

grandma and grandpa came to visit!

 michael and i both planned to run the half marathon this weekend

so his parents booked a trip to come visit and watch the kids during the race

well, michael didn't run it but we had a great visit anyway

we picked up our race numbers and shirts

and then went to ice cream at delsa's

grandma went straight to work and talked eleanor out of a tantrum

 pretty girl

saturday i ran the race (that'll be my next post)

and then we got back home to join in to our neighborhood garage sale

noah had a lemonade stand, too

asking me to take her picture again :)

 henry telling grandma all about the cars in the parking lot

 we went out to dinner at chick-fil-a and hung out at the village

and then put the kids to bed

and michael convinced my tired legs out of bed to go get dessert

 i had been on a no-treats fast

but after 13.1 miles, michael thought i should have something delicious

 we shared yummy bread sticks and two desserts at gino's

it was sooo good 

 playing games with grandpa before church

 on our way to church with just the big kids 

(michael's parents had the little ones in the van)

michael said, "This is what it would be like if we stopped at two. Except we'd be driving a Lexus."

i tried not to dwell on that thought as henry screamed his way though all of church........

 i got a good picture of michael and the kids with grandma and grandpa after church

 after church we had a delicious roast for dinner

and then hung out and played card games

the kids loved playing with grandma and grandpa

and then it was time to go

which is sad but they'll be back very soon 

to watch the kids while we go on our trip

hooray!

and this was a great way to get eleanor and henry warmed up for that

thank you grandma and grandpa for coming! 

we love you!!!

tidbits of our week

eleanor singing to her little brother

and being cute

the temple is always a good idea

michael and i have each made it once a month this year

nailing it

curious little love

last day of pre-school!

always asking for her picture taken

olive and her bus driver and helper

hazel looked so cute after school

kelli came to see us on her way to utah

such a treat!

the kids had a blast

hazel braiding olive's hair for the first time

skater henry

noah's drawing of me on the phone rescheduling my dentist appointment

 i don't know when hazel started writing poetry

but i love it 

and i love that she wrote it for olive

"This is you. I love your smile so bright. I love it when you wake in the morning from night."

hazel is seven!

our hazel girl is seven! 

i can't believe it

ok, i can

hazel always seems a year or two older than she is

she wanted a waffle breakfast

with sausage, of course (her favorite food since she was a baby)

 she wanted to wear the birthday dress i made her to school

with her boots and a new necklace we gave her for her birthday

 i packed her a special lunch and sent her to school

for her first day of "camp"

which she was so excited for

and at the end of the day i brought her class some smores cupcakes

and they sang to her

 cute girl in the middle

 class picture!

hazel's in the middle

they're all wearing their camp t-shirts

 then we went and got a redbox (annie) and slurpees after school

michael came home a little early because he didn't have a meeting he normally has

so we were able to let hazel open presents and eat dinner before noah's piano lessons

 the nail polish kit

 and make up set were definite hits!

look at that face :)

 michael was showing them how it's done 

with haze's new skip-it

 we let her pick a cake at the store for her actual birthday

since the cake i made for her party is long gone

and she chose a little barbie cake

 then we set up the projector for a movie night to finish the day

hazel is such a special girl

i feel really honored to be her mom

she is such a good example to me

she is patient, selfless, smart, a great teacher, an avid reader,

super responsible and always willing to help

here are a few examples:

after their ballet recital olive's rose broke and without hesitation hazel traded her

hazel helps eleanor all the time

and takes care of henry and eleanor without me asking

she really is the best helper

she asks us if there's anything she can help with or chores she can do

she loves to scrub toilets, wipe walls, can clean the playroom super well

and makes her bed and olive's whenever she's cleaning their room

hazel is often the peacemaker

and a great problem solver

it cracks me up when she is explaining things to her younger siblings and says, "for example"

and tries to teach them all about everything like the natural teacher she is

hazel can do anything she sets her mind to: stop sucking her thumb,

do the monkey bars, swing without help, tie her shoes, whistle, write in cursive a little bit,

read really well, try new foods, anything

i am so proud of the girl hazel is

i don't think she gets most of it from me

she is way better and nicer than i am 

she definitely gets it from michael

we love our girl

happy birthday, hazel