THE WAGON: I can't get enough of how funny it is watching Amber pull a wagon loaded full of kids--it cracks me up because she works SO hard and the wagon only moves a few inches at a time.
We love cousins!
THE RAGNAR RELAY: It's advertised as "200-ish miles." We were on a team of 12 people (6 in each van, all strangers except our one friend who got us into the relay). Each person ran 3 legs, for a total of 15-20 miles over two days. [Jeff and two other super fit folks ran 4 relay legs to cover for injured teammates] Our team finished 104th out of 300-something teams with a time of 33.5 hours. Jeff and I drove 9 hours down to Utah on Thursday June 16th and left after the race was over on Saturday evening. We made it three hours before conceding defeat and checking into a hotel in Twin Falls, Idaho. We picked the hotel with the biggest breakfast, and after a good night sleep and a big filling breakfast, we drove the last 6 hours home on Sunday morning.
Jeff and I were really that much taller than everyone in our van.
The selfie culture is strong at Ragnars.
It started at Utah State! Go Aggies! We ran into an old teammate from SVU at one of the relay exchanges. Crazy!
I LOVED Avon Pass--it was carpeted in late blooming yellow wildflowers! I didn't know Utah grew stuff!
Our dusty little lemmings after a drive through Avon Pass.
I wore my first pair of patterned leggings. Well, they were capris on me and full length on everyone else.
Soooo....tired...
Finisher's medals!
GRAMA MERI: My sweet mom came and watched the kids while we went galavanting around the Wasatch mountains at the Ragnar. It was her birthday on Sunday so when we got back she blew out the candle I speared into the slightly stale rice crispy treat I made her.
THE SWIMMING LESSONS: We did swimming lessons at the local Grandview pool this summer. It's a mile from our house, four days a week for two weeks. I love Rose's jumping formation: think Buddy the Elf on the escalator.
We're also watching Spencer as needed throughout the summer, as usual. We love Spencer.
THE COMPUTER GAMES: an afternoon favorite with these three.
THE BASEMENT PLAYROOM: I just close the door and let them make their mess. Jay and Rose have had this ongoing game in there for at least a month. They call it Leaders of the World and they disappear for hours in the playroom with the Barbies, the Legos, and everything in between.
THE BOOKS: Rose hasn't been reading real words much, but since she has sounded out a couple in the past, she has taken to "reading" memorized stories to Amber. It's hilarious to hear her versions of each familiar story. Sometimes she copies Jeff's funny voices, sometimes she inserts dissonant words into a poem, and sometimes she just sits there trying to remember what happened next based on the pictures. I love it when my kids snuggle up together with books.
THE STATIC: I took these darling pictures back in April and never posted them. But I love them so much so here they are.
THE DISHWASHER(S): Sort of.
THE LITTLE PEOPLE: I love when they play with my vintage Fisher Price Little People.
THE TENT: Two weeks ago, on the first Sunday night of summer break, Jay and Rose decided they wanted to camp out in the backyard. According to Jay, camp outs are for UFO searching. It was a strange, slightly vulnerable feeling to let them sleep out back all by themselves, but they loved it! And stayed up too late and woke up too early! Camping is like that.
This picture reminds me of a camping trip we took five years ago...
{'lil two year old Jay, 2011}
and last, but not least...
THE LOWER LIP:
