Splish, Splash!

(I love this picture, it looks like she posing for a swimsuit ad or something. Silly girl!)



Today I bough Abby a little swim pool for our backyard. Its not even June yet, and it seems so hot in the afternoons. Abby absolutely loves to be outside, so I figured the only way to survive the heat all summer long was with some water to cool us down (even though the chances of me getting in the pool are slim to none!). She played in the pool for about an hour, and LOVED it! I think the $25 it cost will be well worth it for hours and hours of summer enjoyment.

Petting Zoo

Today we visited the petting zoo at Thanksgiving Point. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, which I'm so mad about. But Abby loved the animals, and even let the goats eat some food from her hands. We went on the hayride, but didn't even attempt to put Abby on the pony's because I knew it would be a disaster. It was perfect weather, the sun was shining, but not too hot. This activity at Thanksgiving Point was actually quite reasonably priced, and I wouldn't mind making another trip this summer (and maybe I'll remember the camera).

Working in the Yard

Well, it's been a slow process, and we aren't done yet, but this last week we have (or I should say Cameron has) been making progress in our backyard. With tons of dirt, that is often mud, we are tired of it getting tracked into the house. So we covered some areas in bark and evergreen trees. We also splurged and bought a nice bbq grill, something we have wanted for years. I'm so excited for all the new dinner possibilities (and Cameron doing the cooking). I love the way it turned out, and can't wait till we can do even more, but it will have to wait till next year because we already shot our wad.

Thanksgiving Point Garden

Yesterday Abby and I took a trip to Thanksgiving Point Gardens to see whats left of the tulips from the Tulip Festival. We went with my friend Jolynne and her brand new baby Tayslee. It was so pretty and a nice little walk. Abby loved everything that had water, the pond where we fed the fish, and the waterfalls.

There are tons of waterfalls. We walked past so many, and Abby kept saying "more, more", she just loved to see the water.




It was such a nice day. I love finding local things to do with Abby that she (and I) can enjoy!

Yellowstone

This last weekend we took a trip to Yellowstone. We went with Cam's sister Are and her family, and also Cam's little brother Ethan came along. We left on Thursday, and drove all day to Island Park, ID where our cabin was. As a group, we decided to splurge and get a nice cabin that was so cozy and even had a hot tub.




We were surprised at how much snow was still up there. When we pulled up to our cabin, it looked like it was totally buried in snow. Thankfully there was a path to the door shoveled out. It's still the off-season there, so a lot of the touristy stuff is still closed. That made it hard to find places to eat and buy groceries. The first night, we found a restaurant that was open, and we were the only people there.



On Friday, we went to see Old Faithful,


and then walked around for about 2 hours to see several other geysers and hot springs.


It was SO cold, and I felt totally unprepared for 40 degree weather. We scrounged up as many warm clothes as we could, and also several blankets. Poor Abby was wearing two jackets, one of my jackets that covered her head to toe, and a blanket.


She must have been quite warm because she slept through most of the walk. After that we decided to drive around the park to just sight-see. We spent a lot of time driving all around the park because we were DESPERATE to see a bear. But, we never saw one, I think there was still way to much snow on the ground. With all that driving through the curvy roads, Abby got car sick, and threw up several times all over the back seat of the van. Luckily every one was a good sport and helped get things cleaned up as best as we could.

Saturday, we went Yellowstone's grand canyon and saw amazing waterfalls. A lot of the trails to get close to falls were closed, but we still managed to get some great views.



Abby really enjoyed this day, because we let her walk on all the trails we went on. Thankfully, it warmed up a bit more and we weren't quite as cold.

We saw several animals all over the park, and its amazing how many buffalo there were. There were herds of them, just walking down the road.




We also saw tons of elk, a bald eagle, and a coyote, but no bears, wolves, or moose, which kind of bummed us out.




But all in all it was a great trip, and I can't wait till we can plan our next family adventure.

Abby's New Ride

With the weather being so nice lately (well some of the time, anyway) Abby has really enjoyed playing outside. Cameron's mom gave Abby some sidewalk chalk and bubbles to play with awhile ago, but we are finding that they no longer hold her interest that long. So although she wants to be outside to play, there isn't much to do. We decided to buy her a tricycle, which Abby calls her "car". She hasn't quite figured out the pedaling and steering, but really enjoys sitting on it, and pushing it from behind.

Salt Lake Half Marathon

Me running to the finish line

Me and Emily (even though we didn't run together, and didn't really see each other the whole run, we finished almost at the same time)

At the finish line

(Sorry, this is kind of a lengthy post, but I wanted to make sure and journal about today)

Back in October I got serious about my running again. I started running for exercise, but about 12 weeks ago, I decided to train for a half marathon. I wanted a challenge that would keep me motivated and in shape. It was perfect timing too, because it gave me just enough time to train and be ready for the Salt Lake Half Marathon. Since it was the middle of winter, I did most of my training on a treadmill, where it was warmer and free of snow. I really enjoy running, so I didn't mind logging 20-30 miles a week over the 12 week period.

A couple of weeks ago, however, I started to freak out. Not about the distance or my ability, but I was going to be doing it all alone. And having never run a race or even been to one for that matter, I was scared about the logistics of where to go, when to get there, and what to do once I arrived. At first Cameron agreed to run with me, but he ended up not getting the day off of work. And actually that complicated things even more. I then had to worry about finding a babysitter that could watch Abby starting at 5am. But I wasn't going to let anything stand in my way. I had set this goal, I really wanted to accomplish it. So anyways, over the last couple of weeks thing fell into place. My brother-in-law Ethan stayed the night, and was here in the morning to watch Abby; a guy that Cam works with wife, Marcy, needed a ride to the marathon, so I agreed to take her with me; and Jolynne volunteered to drive us in the morning to Salt Lake and drop us off. We even invited another girl, Emily, to come with us too because she was going by herself, and had the same concerns as I.

So at 4:50 this morning I headed out the door to start the journey. We picked up our fellow travelers, and got to the starting line in plenty of time. Before this morning I didn't know either of the girls that went to the race with me, but we talked all morning, and became friends quickly. Once the race started, though, we wished one another luck, and went our separate ways.

The first seven miles went so quickly, and I was feeling good. But around miles 8 and 9 I got a stomach ache, was low on energy, and started wondering if the 13th mile was ever going to come. Then bad turned to worse, I hit mile 12. It was a killer, uphill for over a mile. It took what little strength I had left to keep going. But I made it through, and just a little farther, there were crowds and cheering and music until the finish line. I finished in 2 hours 9 minutes 34 seconds, which was right around my goal. Once I stopped running, I realized how sore and tired my legs were. So, as soon as the pain subsides, I think I'll really be able to enjoy the accomplishment.

I had so much fun, and can't wait to check the calender to see when I can schedule my next race!

Thanks to:
Cameron, who, although he wasn't there to see me, encouraged me over the past 12 weeks to keep going.
Jolynne, who was the greatest support. I don't know if she knows it, but it's because of her example, that I even got the guts to do this. Jolynne doesn't let life pass her by. I realized, that I was always saying "someday I'd like to do this, or that" but never actually doing anything. So, I'm trying to adjust my attitude, and stop watching opportunities pass my by. And on top of that, when I called her yesterday, totally freaking out, she dropped what she was doing to come talk to me, and calm me down. Then she woke up at 4am this morning to drive me to Salt Lake, then cheered my on at the finish line (all while 38 weeks pregnant!). She's such an awesome, giving friend, and I feel so lucky to know her.
My in laws (the whole Monahan family) who called to wish me luck before the race, and congratulations after. It felt great to know they were thinking about me.
and Ethan, who babysat Abby, giving up a Saturday. He did a wonderful job watching her.