13.1

On Saturday Parker ran the Top of Utah Half Marathon.
He is pretty dang awesome.
And Jack and I are pretty dang proud of him.

Parker had every excuse in the world to back out of this thing. 

When he committed to run the race he had no way of knowing how hectic our lives would become.  Finding time to train was pretty impossible. I find myself trying to down play how sick I've been over the past few months. Because it is kind of embarrassing. And no one wants to be that person who talks about how terrible things are for them. But the truth is it has been ugly and really hard. I am sharing it now to give credit to Parker. He has been holding it all together for our little family. Taking care of me. Taking care of Jack. Working very hard and sleeping very little. All the while never complaining. Never saying no to anyone who asked for help in anyway. I have watched him give and give. He is truly my hero. 

And making excuses and backing out of things just isn't how he is. So he went and ran a half marathon.  In the rain. 

13.1 miles! It is a pretty big deal. 

Parker- You never give up and you never back down. After all the strength you have been lending to me, I am bursting with pride that you found enough to cross that finish line. I hope our son grows up to be just like you. 

Parker's parents and his oldest brother came in to run the race with him. Which was awesome. It made the experience even better and more memorable. 

We really enjoyed the time we were able to spend with family. My little Jack is loved so deeply by so many. I feel so much joy knowing that he has a great group of people to cheer for him, encourage him, support him and look out for him as he grows. You can't have too many people who care about you. 

So Long Sweet Summer

Summer is winding down over here.

I know, I know. It is still August. 

It is still pretty hot. The leaves are still green. 

For the first time no one in my little family is going back to school.

Summer has been so wonderful I am in no rush to leave it behind. 

And still….  

I can't quite explain it, I don't really know why.

But my internal clock is ringing loud to let me know that summer is up. Things just feel different. It's time to get moving. We have some big things to get ready for. Fun things. Busy things. Fall things. 

Jacks first summer couldn't have been better. 

Well ok…. maybe a little less surgery for me… 

But we did so many fun things. 

Afternoons at the pool.  Bubble blowing in the front yard. Trips to the park. A zoo visit.  Fireworks. Cotton Candy. Baseball games. Learning to draw with sidewalk chalk, not eat it. Picnics. A night in a tent. Playing with cousins. Pony rides. Farmers markets. Finger painting. Long walks. Barbecues. 

Saturday we ate a big breakfast up the canyon with a whole bunch of family. Then went to our very first Real Salt Lake game. 

Jack was so tired from such a big day. And maybe from such a big season. It felt like the grand finale of our summer. 

It has been wonderful. I am about to burst I am so excited for all the wonderful things we have coming up over the next little bit.  

That tired face. He really did enjoy the game. He clapped through the whole thing.  He fell asleep the moment we put him in his car seat to take him home. 

No Pants No Problem

Backyard Camp Out

There are only a couple of things that Parker and I adamantly disagree on.
The first is whether or not presents from a certain big guy who lives up North come wrapped, or put together and set up ready to go by the tree.
The other is camping.
Parker hates camping. Ask him about it. He has a whole speech he will give you.
I love camping. I especially loved it when I was a kid. And I kind of wanted to take Jack this summer. The thing is we really haven't had time. And to be fair to Parker, camping with Jack right now would be a ton of work. But with summer winding down I was feeling the need to squeeze in one more good weather adventure. So I talked to my sister and we decided a Backyard Camp Out was the perfect solution.
We made s'mores, stayed up late talking around the fire and slept in a tent. But we had a kitchen, bathroom and everything we needed for Jack just right inside. It was awesome. Kind of camping is the way to go. For now anyway. Maybe when Jack gets older I will convince Parker that real camping is fun too. I am not holding my breath though.

Puddle Splashing in Jackland

In Jackland everyday is an outside play day. Rain or shine.
Water is never too cold to jump in. And getting your feet wet is never enough.
No new territory is too scary to explore. No terrain is too rough to crawl on.
In Jackland falling only hurts if mama gasps.
Every thing from excitement, frustration, exhaustion, hunger, to pure joy is best expressed by patting your open mouth in a loud Indian war cry.
Awah wah wah. Awah wah wah.
In Jackland we are on the move from sun up till son down. Some days we have splashed in puddles, played with the dog, and hunted for worms all before second breakfast.
Yes, in Jackland breakfast is served twice daily.