A Good Laugh

As we were reading scriptures with the kids tonight we were having a discussion about obeying the prophet. I asked, "So if the prophet asks us to do something, what should we?"

Gabby, our predictable obedient child answered, "We should do it."
Parker, our thinker and entertainer answered, "But if the prophet asks us to eat 10 suckers in one day, we shouldn't do it."

I hope it made you laugh at least a little. I hear laughter is good for you.

The Longest Run of My Life

I have said it a few times before while training, but I do believe I will never be able to say it again...last Saturday I ran the longest run of my life. I completed a 26.2 mile marathon, and although I hope to do it again, I am sure I will never run further.

On Friday night the Willardsen crew headed up to Logan. We made it up in time to have dinner and drive around town, showing our kids where we spent our last years of college, and our first year of marriage. Reminiscing the old times was more fun for me than them, I am sure. That night we stayed in a house in Providence, between mile 20 and 21 of the marathon.

On Saturday the 20th my sister Stephanie, my friend Paula and I ran the Top of Utah Marathon, along with 2,000 other runners. The race starting at Hardware Ranch 14 miles into Blacksmith Fork Canyon and ended in Logan at Merlin Olsen Park.
I had been experiencing horrible pain in my shins/calves over the last month, since the Provo River Trail Half, and had talked myself into expecting a rough and very slow race, but was still not going to miss it after all the training. I am slow enough to wait for the week of the race to research leg pains on the internet and asked a few experienced friends for advice. Everything and everyone told me to take some ibuprofen, ice and run. Although I had iced before, I hadn't used the advice to take ibuprofen continuously during training. I did for the race, and the result was no lower leg pain. I could have enjoyed the training a little more if I would have just taken some pain reliever earlier! (Maybe it was how slow I took it that helped too!?)

The run was definitely long, and parts of it were very hard, but I have to say that I never thought of quiting. My family was waiting to see us just after mile 20. I spotted them early, and made sure they saw us coming so they could get at least one picture. It was great to hear their cheers. Gabby was cheering and Parker yelled, "You can do it mom" as we ran past. I hit "the wall" at about mile 23 when I started to feel that I had to pick it up a little and just finish. After 4 hours and 42 minutes I crossed the finish line. It was great to have my family there to cheer me on. It was worth the hours of training and the sore muscles. I would do it again. Just give me a little time to recover!
I am grateful for the experience. It is rewarding to accomplish something that is difficult, especially after working so hard. (That must be why we remodeled an old house!)

I am even more grateful for an awesome husband who supports me in the best way possible. Although he doesn't have the desire to run a marathon, he is willing without complaints to help get the kids ready for school in the morning when I am slow to get back from a run, and hang out with the kids for hours on Saturday while I run the long runs. He even lets me rest when I need it. He is so good at watching the kids that he can't even take his eyes away from them to smile for the picture!

You're the best.

Labor Day Fun

We were going to be really nice to our kids this labor day and do something crazy and fun. We tried to take them to a movie, but the one movie option we had was sold out two hours in advance. We ended up playing at the park for a while instead. Lucky for us Randy's new phone can take a decent picture. A good picture always makes it look like we had fun! Gabby looking as cute as ever
Parker striking a pose
Joshua as King of the Slide
Fun on the Slide with a Cool Dad!

Kansas Days

Gabby noticed very quickly that it was harder to breath in Kansas than in Utah. The humidity was a little thicker than we are used to, but their grass is amazingly green!

Our first day with Grandma and Grandpa went to the zoo. It was a great zoo with a new gorilla exhibit. It also had a few animals that our zoo at home is missing right now. The male lion was a big hit for us too.

The second day in Kansas we went to Exploration Place. It is a children's museum that is great for adults too. There are interactive exhibits that entertained us for a long time.

That night we went swimming. Gabby and Parker have become a little nervous in the pool compared to how well they did in swim lessons. It just means they need more lessons. Joshua on the other hand had no fear, even when jumping into five feet of water without me there to catch him. The pool was very refreshing all the same.

The next morning after a great breakfast and packing up we hit the road for our last 1,000 miles. We considered stopping for the night again, but hadn't reserved a hotel. By the time it would have been nice to stop for sleep we figured we would rather suffer through five more hours with sleeping kids and make it home to our own beds. We pulled into the garage at 3:30 a.m., unloaded the kids, our contact solution, and went to bed. The rest could wait for the morning!

It was a good trip. The kids loved the adventure, even the long car ride. It may be a while before we spend that much time in a car again, but now we know we can do it...

Day 2 Road Trip

We began Day 2 having breakfast, and swimming in the hotel swimming pool to help the kids use some energy. Then around noon we loaded the car again and off we went. The kids watched some movies and took a nap before we crossed the Kansas border.

Soon after reaching Kansas we stopped for food and gas at the best truck stop ever. There was a great picnic area with tables and a play ground, and was fully fenced...no dogs allowed. Best of all, it was clean! They even had a cool gorilla to climb. The kids were so excited the be out of the car they chose running and playing instead of eating. I wish I thought the same way they do. Gabby, Park and Joshua ran a few races before we continued our driving adventure.

Day 2 ended at Grandma and Grandpa's house at 9:30 p.m. One thousand miles down, only a thousand miles back!

Documenting our Road Trip

Just before school started we decided to take a road trip to Kansas to visit Grandpa and Grandma Willardsen. Until this trip the longest ride our kids have had to endure was a five hour drive to St. George or Idaho. Here is how it went:
Sleeping and driving and more sleeping and more driving and no sleeping.

And then we arrived in Denver for a good night sleep in a hotel room. It was 1:30 in the morning and the kids were still this happy to be there:

Little Dell Reservoir

In August we took a Sunday drive up to Little Dell Reservoir. We had ran down Emigration Canyon the day before and noticed the reservoir just a little beyond where we started, so on Sunday Randy and I decided to entertain the kids with a little trip to nature. Randy, Parker and Joshua running off to have fun!
Parker, Joshua and Gabby with ALL of their walking sticks.
Joshua playing in the water.
The kids had a great time trying to skip rocks. Then again, so did Randy and I. Joshua was showing off his clean hands after digging in the mud for rocks to throw.
Parker, Gabby and Caryn

A Parker Moment

Today at PRESCHOOL (not church) Jessi was teaching the letter "A". She was trying to get the kids to guess an "A" word by giving clues like..."This is all around us. We can't feel it but it is touching us right now..." Parker then blurts out "Jesus."

Isn't he smart!

Content With a Good Book

The other day Joshua was playing upstairs quietly for quite a while. I went up to check on him and found books spread all around and him reading. I had to take a picture. He loves to read, as do Gabby and Parker, but it still amazes me how interested a two-year-old can be all by himself with a good book. A book seems to even make our little Joshua drool!

Half Marathon #4

Stephanie, Paula, Marci and I ran the Provo River Trail Half Marathon on August 9th. I am only three weeks slow to post. It was a good run, and I beat my best time. Now realize that I run to complete, not to win. I am in no way considered fast, but let's reminisce so I have it for future reference. My memory is not the best and this blog would be the closest thing to a journal for me.
Salt Lake 2007 Half: 2 hours 5 minutes
Bryce Canyon 2007 Half: 2 hours 2 minutes
Salt Lake 2008 Half: 1 hour 56 minutes
Provo River Trail 2008 Half: 1 hour 54 minutes

The race was definitely less organized than the Salt Lake in April, but the trail was beautiful. The end in town had a few too many loops, but with a time improvement, it was worth it. Once again, my favorite part is the training. My running buddies are great. They make amazing and free counselors and we always seem to have a few laughs on our runs as well.

Randy and the kids came down for the run. They saw me run in but I didn't see them. Randy always complains that I am just too darn fast to snap a picture (that would be me on the right).

Everyone was happy in the end, and I am sure I will do it again. Thanks for the fun runs girls.
Stephanie, Caryn, Marci, Paula

8 Months Later and I Still Miss It

I served in our ward Primary for four years until last December. When I was released, I will admit, I was a little relieved to have less responsibility. I did however, immediately miss being in Primary. The big-kid classes are just a little rough for me. Lucky for me I was called into the Stake Primary in May, but the kid connection just isn't the same.

Yesterday I got to substitute in Gabby's class. We had class first, and then showed up for music/sharing time a little bit late (I don't wear a watch so had no idea what time it was). When we walked in cute little Lexi was singing "I Love to See the Temple" in front of the whole Primary with just a little help from the music leader. She new every word. It was absolutely beautiful, and almost brought me to tears right then and there. Of course the rest of the hour I spent trying to control my emotions.

A little later the music leader was explaining details about the songs they will sing in the Sacrament Meeting presentation. She asked Parker, Owen and Max if they would sing the first verse to a song, and then everyone else would join in. Parker got a big smile on his face and said, "like a solo?...yea, I'll do it so I can get a TREAT!" Parker was rewarded with a treat for singing a solo in Primary a few weeks back, so now he thinks it's all about the treats. I am sure it still hasn't registered to him that he agreed to sing in Sacrament Meeting in a small group. He just knows he get a treat. [Side Note: Parker was wearing his fancy suit yesterday so he could look like his dad. He had his hand in his pocket all through Primary because he had to make sure the treats didn't fall out. He looked like he was striking a pose with the hand-in-the-pocket trick.]

The boys got up to practice their verse and Parker couldn't stop smiling which soon led to laughing. He is the Primary clown, I'm sure. All the leaders without kids always tell me how great he is. I like to place the blame on them for Park's crazy, disruptive behavior. When everyone is laughing and thinks he is so great, how can he help but be Mr. Personality?

To finish off my Primary experience yesterday they invited the bishop in to present a reverence quilt to him. The kids have been earning squares to make a quilt by being reverent. The also each made a square with their hand print and decorated it. They tied it yesterday during sharing time. It was very cute. When the bishop came in the president presented the quilt to him and then had the kids sing "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus." Two lines into the song I had to start holding my breath for fear a giant sob would escape.

Oh, how I miss being in Primary. Even with all the craziness kids bring, I can't imagine a person that wouldn't enjoy it. A quiet song from arguably the shyest girl in the room and crazy outbursts from Mr. Personality wouldn't happen in a big-kid class. OK, the crazy outburst may happen from someone like me, but I am pretty sure it would be considered completely inappropriate.