Randomness

Elijah wants to have his birthday party at the grocery store. I have decided I want to go to nursing school. Some of my prerequisites are too old, so I have to retake them. I need to take Biology in order to retake Anatomy. Today I learned I have to test into math 99 and english 99 in order to take Biology. I did well on the reading comprehension test but not so well on math. I have to start at math 95. I decided that isn't too bad considering I haven't taken Algebra since 1997. Isaac wants to be firefighter and dresses like on all the time. He has never been obsessed with anything so this is fun to see. I am thankful for winter running. I have done a big race every month since March and my legs are tired. Elijah loves to say "kick ass". Sam is getting his bikes in order. He has sold one frame. And he is getting his other bikes in working order. Today Elijah and Isaac were wrestling. Elijah threw Isaac into the highchair face first. I got upset that Isaac was hurt and Elijah wouldn't say he was sorry. Isaac got upset and started telling me "it was an accident!". Is it strange I am proud my boys stick up for each other? Isaac's now says "christ" when he drops something or he is frustrated. That is all my fault. Elijah and Isaac both had a crazy stomach virus over the weekend. I hope I don't have to clean up vomit again for a long while. Isaac won't let me take his picture any more. Elijah loves to pose for the camera.

October

Wow October went by so quickly. We had a lot of fun and we were very busy! Sam started his new job at IMC. He only works 15 shifts a month, he is home in the evenings, and he seems to be really liking it. Elijah is really liking school. He has a lot of friends and he is learning a lot. He was a Dragon of the Night for halloween. He is way into ninjas and painting on his face with marker. Isaac is into firefighters. He introduces himself as a firefighter. He watches Barney Fire House every morning. He was a fireman for halloween and he wants a fire truck for christmas. I am getting ready to go back to school. SLCC South campus is next door to Elijah's school and they have daycare! I ran a half marathon with Lucas. Of course Lucas beat me by five minutes. It was his first one and I am so proud of him. It did sting a little having him beat me by so much. My camera/computer is being weird and won't download halloween pictures.

I believe.........

that woman are strong that all humans have the right to marry whomever they want that everyone deserves equal access to healthcare without going into debt that disciplining my kids is very important that teaching my kids respect is even more important that comet cleanser, diflucan, central air and the magic eraser are some of the best inventions ever that reading books are good for my health if something is important to you, you will make time for it without making excuses that everyone should exercise that I need to finish college that Words with Friends makes me crazy but I am addicted that marrying Sam is the best decision I ever made that George Bush should be tried for war crimes that buying new cars is a big waste of money that my kids should be told every day how much I love them and how proud I am to have them that sometimes you have to let go of friends and that you don't have to talk to your good friends everyday, they will still be there for you my family is one of the best things about me that is okay if I read people magazine every week because I also read newsweek never think someone else is going to make you happy, only you can do that and that I have a lot to learn but I am getting better with age

Bean

check out that smile
Bean is an amazing kid. He is smart, charming, loving, independent and loud. I never worry about anyone bossing this kid around. His favorite sayings are no, me me me, and I do it! He loves cars, his bikes, playing outside, pretty girls and carrots and hummus. His favorite drinks are sparkling water and ice tea. He has the most amazing vocabulary for a two year old. He tries to skateboard and scares the hell out of me. He isn't afraid to try anything, including climbing fences, riding his bike down the skate park ramps and jumping down a lot of stairs. He is very tender hearted, he gets very upset when he is put on timeout and gets even more upset when Elijah is put on timeout. The first thing he says in the morning is "where my daddy go" and "mommy come on get up". Did I mention he never sleeps past 7:30? He likes Mickey Mouse, Tow-mater, Elmo and Barney but never watches t.v for longer than 20 minutes. He loves coffee especially ice coffee. He looks so much like my Dad sometimes it still surprises me. He is only two and has already decided he wants to be fireman when he grows up. He really likes Triceratops and turtles.
I think he is amazing.

Elijah

All of a sudden he is a kid. He is so skinny and getting tall. He asks all these big kid questions that I have a hard time answering. Thank goodness for google. He likes to do puzzles and read books. He has the best imagination, he can play for hours by himself. He makes these popping noises while he concentrates, I am not even sure he knows he is making them. He is the best big brother. He and Isaac will be playing and he tells him that Isaac is the best brother and he loves him. In a few short weeks he goes to school! I am a little sad, for his whole life he and I have been together almost everyday. This is one step away from me. I am proud of him though. He is so smart and charming, he will do good in school. He already has fashion sense, he tells me how he wants his hair cut. Sometimes he picks Indiana Jones haircut and then sometimes he wants a mohawk. He already has his outfits picked out for the first two days of school. He has a girlfriend named Bella. She is seven, he is going to marry her at Discovery Gateway and they are having kids together. He loves babies. He often asks me for a baby sister. He wants him, Isaac and his future baby sister to be a group called the 3 ninjas.
My life is better because of him.

Samuel Sloan is now board certified!

marathon

at the start line


at the finish line


Elijah giving me flowers

I ran my first marathon last Saturday. It was an amazing course and an amazing experience. I had to hike from mile nine to fifteen but kept moving the whole time! I made a lot of new friends, who are even more crazy than me. I finished in 5:20 but the course was a hard/slow course so I was the 7th woman and 2nd in my age group. I had so much fun and I felt really good the whole time. I am looking forward to doing more trail runs/marathons!

Marathon here I come!

In a few short hours I will be running my first marathon! I have been so nervous and worried that I would have an epic fail! Today I realized that all I have to do is finish. I am only racing myself. I picked a very hard race for my first marathon, for a moment I today I was having anxiety about this. I am not sure why I picked this race, I think I was having a bad-ass moment. Mile nine to fifteen has an average of 400 feet elevation gain per mile! I am planning on walking that part. Because of the elevation gain the race director told me to plan on taking at least five hours to finish!
Thank you Geno without your help I wouldn't have ever gotten this far.
Thank you Sam for understanding all the long hours I had to go running.
Thank you Elijah and Isaac for spending so many long miles in the jogger and only complaining sometimes.

summer fun

summer evenings


this guy is learning how to chill again. I think he is enjoying himself.



We have been to Jordanelle twice to hang at the beach and go paddle boarding.


I have done two mud runs this month. Sam did one with me. It was his second race ever! Our camera ran out of batteries so we have no pictures to prove this.



They love finger painting. I love that it is easy to clean up.


Isaac is really good at climbing. He climbs everything he can and he freaks me out.


Elijah started T-ball this month. It is so fun to watch. Four year olds trying to bat and run like mad after the ball is hilarious. Elijah is good at batting not so good at paying attention while the other team is batting.

Summer

I love summer. I love my boys playing outside and getting dirty. I love all the fun stuff we get to do. I love family coming to visit. I love summer nights. I love going to the lake and having a beach day. I love going swimming outside. I love all the races I get to run. My favorite part about this summer so far, Sam being home to enjoy all the goodness with us.

my rant

Ladies what is our deal?! We spend so much time hating ourselves and each other. We spend so much time talking badly about ourselves telling the world we aren't good enough and guess what the world is starting to believe us. Why do we talk so mean about other woman? And why is talking mean about other woman so okay?
I refuse to say negative things about myself. I like to be healthy and focus on my positives. I won't talk mean about other woman, when woman talk mean about other woman it is a sign of a low self-esteem. When we do these things we are giving our power away! Next you see a woman and you think something mean about her. Take a minute and remind yourself she felt good when she left her house. Next time you think something mean about yourself remind yourself how you are destroying yourself. We are all beautiful and we should be proud we are different!

Ragnar 2011

Ragnar kicks my ass! 12 people run 190 miles from Logan to Park City. We barely sleep, a few lucky people shower and we each ran three times in 31 hours. Yesterday I told Sam I was never racing again, today I am thinking of my marathon and wondering who will be on my Ragnar team next year.
My leg was a lot more challenging this year. My first run was an easy 3.3 mile run outside of Ogden, my second run was a 10 mile run around Echo Reservoir at 2 a.m (this was an amazing run), and my last leg was an epic 3.1 mile run up Guardsmen Pass. I gained 1600 feet elevation on my last leg, I wasn't able to run it all but I got myself to the top with a smile on my face.
Sam ran with me this year. It was his first running race ever. He did so good. He even traded a leg with our friend so she could have an easier run, he ended up adding two miles to his last leg.

Running

I always run a lot but recently I have been running even more. Sometimes when I am out on my really long runs I wonder "why am I doing this?". I am literally running my ass off. Somedays my legs are so fatigued it is a workout to get up the stairs. I have the most ridiculous tan lines and my poor kids spend so much time in the jogger. The thing is I love to run. I love pushing myself harder than I thought I could go. I love the endorphin high. I love feeling strong and healthy. I love the side effects of running. I love when my mind lets go of all my stress, I stop thinking and my legs just move.
Humans were made to run. I believe a lot of us have the problems we do because we are not suppose to be solitary or sedentary. The biggest health problems in America heart disease, diabetes, and depression could be helped or even prevented by running.
In two weeks I am doing Ragnar again. This race is hard because of the lack of sleep. It is also so much fun. In July I am doing a two obstacle course 5k's. These are so much, nothing like running through the mud while running. Then at the end of July I am running my first marathon. I am a little nervous for this one, but I am going to take it one slow step at a time.
The happier I am the more I run and the more I run the happier I am.
Thank you Geno for introducing me to the fine art of running.

Vacation

Sam and Elijah went on a small hike together while Isaac slept in the car.



Sam playing on the Sand Dunes




the Sand Dunes at Snow Canyon. Sam is good at getting pictures of me when I am goofing around with the boys.



it is so hard to get a family picture. Someone is always crying or mad.




Red Rock trail.


Sam beginning one of his mountain bike rides. It had rained the night before so there was a lot of mud. Mud makes Sam Sloan happy. He was able to go on a mountain bike ride almost every day we were there. About half-mile from our condo was a lot of single track but this trail is Gooseberry Mesa about an hour outside of St. George.


This picture doesn't do Zion's justice. It is such a beautiful, grand place. I want to go back when we can hike more.


this is outside the museum at Zion's. This might be my favorite picture of the boys.



we spent Saturday at the pool. It was awesome to get some sun.


our view from our condo



Sand Hollow State Park. This is Utah's newest state park and it is beautiful. The beaches are nice red sand and the water was already a nice temperature. Elijah and Isaac played hard, they ran around, tried to swim, and dug nice big holes by hand.


Us at Weeping Rock. This is the one hike we did at Zion's. There are a lot of steep cliffs there and my boys are wild. This hike is only a half mile and I told them to stand away from the edge of the mountain at least twenty times.


Navajo Lake in Dixie National Forest. Sam and I really want to go back when there isn't 6 feet of snow.

We had so much fun. It was nice to get away.

I really like these little guys

I know all mama's love their kids but I am a lucky mama. I really really like my boys. I think they are the funniest, smartest, loudest boys around and they make me happy.
I like that....
we bought Isaac a five dollar basketball outfit yesterday and now he won't take it off
that Elijah's nickname for me is Chunky Love
that they both say damn it on a regular basis
that Elijah is constantly on the lookout for monsters
Isaac loves playing in the backyard, he can play by himself for hours
they think their daddy is the coolest guy to ever live
they both love bikes. We have three bikes in our backyard and still they fight over them
Elijah asks to get his haircut into a mohawk
Elijah will eat vegetables but not fruit
Isaac will eat fruit but not vegetables
Elijah is never shy
Isaac is shy
they wrestle so hard together
they always say please and thank you to eachother
Elijah is a very patient big brother until Isaac takes his bike
Isaac may be shy but he always sticks up for himself
Elijah never takes lets anyone boss him around, except pretty girls
they are both flirts
but most of all I like that they our mine and Sams

Grandpa BG got Elijah a dinosaur hunting kit. Here he is opening a dinosaur egg.


I seriously love this outfit



the Dinosaur Museum. I finally gave in and bought us a year long pass.


always keeping us entertained


my baby bits his fingernails and his toenails!

We have been busy since Sam graduated. There has been lots of celebrating, work, studying, and playing. Sam hasn't had a break yet but we are going on vacation soon. Hopefully he can relax and get some good bike rides in then.
My running has been going good. I decided I am running a marathon. I signed up for the Wasatch Back Marathon. It is 2/3 trail and 3000 feet elevation gain in the the first 13 miles. I like to keep it real.