Hey Blog....remember me?

 Well I have neglected our poor pitiful blog long enough!!! We have had such a busy summer that it is hard to remember everything we packed in.  So due to my lack of brain cells (I blame my children) I will post  our most recent adventures....because those are the only ones I can really remember.

 So my kids went back to school....unlike many of the moms that posted their kids pictures on Facebook along with a sweet message of how they cried or how they miss them already....I celebrate back to school ....it is a national holiday in my house.  If I wasn't so lazy I would have posted a picture of me jumping in the air, fist pumping....or maybe sitting on their beds eating a ding dong!

 I mostly just posted these pictures as proof that I actually did their hair at least once this year. The rest of the year they look somewhat homeless.

 To end the summer my family went to Bear Lake.  Of course this was in September...in Idaho ...so it was pretty cold. Most of my family was competing in a triathlon there.  I was going to be on a relay with my sisters but then a week before we leave I got supper sick and could not compete....bummer!!!! But when I realized how cold the water was I felt grateful for my nasty infection.....luckily the girls found someone who wasn't such a pansy to replace me.  In the meantime I got to spend the weekend snuggling my boy toy...my nephew Owen....who seriously has me wrapped around his little fingers!

 I also got to spend time with these girls.  They flew in from Cali just to hang with the family and cheer them on. I am so proud of my sisters and what amazing mom's they are. They are new to this mom thing but totally rocking it and inspiring me to be a better mom.  This can be said for my brother Jared...he is an amazing dad!!!!  I never thought the guy that dangled spit in my face would turn out to be such an amazing father and husband.  And I am sure one day Kurtie will also be a awesome dad because he is already a fun and loving uncle and an awesome husband.  If you can't tell I love my siblings and am so proud of them.  We also missed Jenni's hubby not being there.  Since he has joined the family our coolness went up 10 points! But we were so glad he was willing to let his girls come. Lucy is a doll and although she may look like her daddy I think she is going to be a little mini Jenni. She is such a little sweet heart! I never thought I would love my nieces and nephew as much as I do....but they are so much better then having your own kids because you get to love on them and then give them back....no stress !

 My dad, Kurt and my bro in law did the whole race.  I was so proud of them.....it took a lot of guts!  Especially after the swimming part rocked their world and made Kurtie blow chunks!  I think next time they do one of these they will practice the swim part a little more! My Dad and his buddy Steve got first an second place in their age division and got to stand on the podium.

 My cute sis in law did the biking part of the relay and was  the only one in our family that could really pull off the padded spandex shorts look.  Her awesome family came and stayed with us and now I am not sure I want to have a family reunion without them.  I am hoping they just adopt our family into theirs and invite us on all their fun outings....plus they have all the fun toys!

 Mitch rocked the swimming part of the relay....and I am sure he is not passing this kid on purpose....he is a nice guy like that.

 My sister did the running part of the relay....and she is really not that white....this is just a crappy picture....I just love it because it is so her....that's just how she goes through life, with this easy going attitude.  She is such a great mom!

 Avery loved the beach and even though the water was freezing it did not stop her from jumping right in.  It was so nice to have Taylor's niece and nephews  there to keep my girls company.  Without Jared and his family attending, my girls have no one to really play with.  We missed Jared and his family a lot and it would have been so awesome to have us all together....one day I hope.

 Hailey has found a new hobby.  She collects seashells and they become her special treasures.  She stayed out of the water and instead combed the beach for miniature shells.  She still has anxiety from a previous swimming mishap that happened earlier this summer and we hope that her fear of open water is just a phase.

 Mattie enjoyed the freedom.  She chased the older kids, swam in the pool and ate an insane amount of sugar.  She also enjoyed not having to get dressed and not having her hair brushed.  At the end of the week all my girls were starting to look pretty homeless. Their hair was starting to form dreads and I could not get a brush through Haileys because of the food chunks that were dried in it...oh well it was a vacation...dont judge me)

My mom was such a trouper on this vacation.  Not only did she recently have an emergency eye surgery but shortly after she was hospitalized due to a severe  colon complication.  This has left her pretty weak and she is still recovering but she was so positive.  She is such a strong gal and constantly puts the needs of others before her own.  She chased around the course cheering my dad on and wanted to do her best to support him.















We had a great time with the family and who knows maybe next year I will be brave enough to try out this race....assuming I get off my butt and get in shape!