Happy 4th of July from Scar Face!

There hasn't been a lot going on around here except hours and hours of scooter riding, bike riding, and super hero wars.  Such is a lovely summer with my boys!  Yesterday Ian took a header doing tricks on his scooter and this was the result.  Thank God I'm such a stickler for helmets!  I can only imagine what his face would have looked like without his helmet to buffer the coalition.  It was a bit dramatic to clean but he was so proud when it was all said and done.  In fact, he ran out to show his buddies his "war wounds".  I love having boys!

Anyways, hope you all have a wonderful 4th and don't forget to thank a soldier!  Freedom isn't free but it is worth it! Happy 4th of July!

Ryan's Big Fishing Trip

Ryan and his friends took a fun little weekend fishing trip this past weekend and they did great!  I mean, they didn't catch a 200+ lb halibut like a little girl did the day before but they brought enough home to make me happy!  I still have to laugh a little because he doesn't even eat fish.  I'm hoping this will change with time but not as of yet.

Wow, someone looks really sleepy.  I guess the all night fishing excitement wasn't a great idea before a 5am fishing charter.

Aaron and Shane...Ryan's partners in crime!  Such great guys!

Mighty proud fishermen!  Hey where's Aaron?  He seems to escape photos kind of like Ian.

The charter crew...they did great.

Halibut are really unattractive fish but they sure do taste good!  

Mayor's Marathon prep/race day!

I've never been so nervous for anything, other than the birth of my children. The knowledge that I'm about to embark on something that will be painful and take time to recover from, but that will totally be worth it is amazing! I'm thankful to report that I did finish and my medal currently sleeps through the night, unlike my children!

It's an amazing process of training for a marathon, prepping for the actual race, and then finally race day. Team in Training is an amazing organization that really is a team! I felt some amazing camaraderie from people from all over the US! I spent about 7 miles of the race with Sara from the Arizona chapter and about 11 miles of the race with Tracy from the Monterey Bay chapter.

Because I wasn't caught up in finishing within a certain time I was able to have conversations with people and really find out why they chose to run. A lot of people are out there for more than just to run a race. Sara lost her dad a year ago in December and her and I both shed a tear or two at about mile 12 when we each told our stories. We both lost someone we love yet we chose to turn that into something positive! Tracy was having a hard day and was thinking about quiting, we encouraged each other and took our minds off the pain. I know I appreciated it as much as she did.

I will never forget this experience and I'm so grateful to all help I had along the way! Will I do it again? I know I will be signing up for more races, but no full marathons as of yet. I guess we'll just have to see. Running will definitely stick with me, I'm hoping for a long long time.

Just picked up my bib and timing chip and I am so excited! It's becoming more real!

My shirt is ready! It was a privilege to run in memory of these wonderful people! Running for a reason is awesome!

Sue, Krista, and I trying not to be too nervous!

Here we go! Getting ready for real!

Running strong into Mile 9 aid station with my teammate/friend Aprille!

Mile 13 aid station with Sara and feeling the love from my guys!

Mile 20 and enjoying the encouragement from my guys! Blisters are killing at this point!

Mile 22 with Tracy! Almost there!

Coming up to West High School track were the finish is! Almost there!

Running with my coach Sara! She is amazing and helped me run up "the hill" at mile 25.5!

Running for the big finish with my little guys! They rock!

I'm a finisher and Declan wouldn't leave my side! He's such a cute little dirt ball!

FINISHER check in! Team in Training ROCKS!

My awesome teammate, Sue! WE DID IT!

Hiking Mt. Baldy with the boys

So Ryan and I have been dying to get out and hike Baldy (a little info about it is at the bottom). This is a local mountain that is very popular and a fun hike. We decided that we would see how far we could get with the boys in tow. I really didn't think we would get all the way to the top but once again those boys surprised me! The start was a little rocky with lots of whining and tears, keep in mind that this was about 200 yards from the car! But Ryan and I pushed them on and they really got into it!

This was about half way up and they were doing awesome! After all, Ian was "born to climb", or so he claims.

Almost there and complete with M&M stops!

They boys and I above Eagle River! Amazing and kinda chilly!

Cutie boys!

My guys! Love them!

Amazing views and great family time! One the way back down it was harder on us then going up the mountain. Toward the bottom of the mountain Declan was hitting his legs and saying that his legs were "cranky". Their poor little muscles probably never worked that hard. They were such troopers!

When we got home they wanted to play outside for a little bit and they both hobbled across the cul-de-sac. They are awesome and they continue to amaze me!

Trail Statistics & Information

Activity Type:	Hiking
Nearby City:	Eagle River
Length:	7 total miles
Elevation Gain:	2,700 feet
Trail Type:	Out-and-back
Skill Level:	Moderate; rough trail, alpine tundra
Duration:	4 to 6 hours
Season:	Best in the summer months
Top Elevation:	4,446 feet
Local Contacts:	Chugach State Park

Alyeska with the family

Before Grandma and Grandpa left we wanted to get them out to Alyeska to hike on the Winner Creek Trail (which we love) and take advantage of the Groupon (also love) we got for the tram. It was a very rainy day but still fun and we learned that gummy bears and mini marshmallows help our boys move on the trail when they start to get tired! It was a 5 mile hike and the boys were champs! I love my little hiker boys!

Diane, Declan, and I up on the mountain in the avalanche zone...yep, it's June!

Ryan's parents in the misty mountains.

My super hiker boys!

The Dall sheep we saw on our way home! So close and so cool!

And this is were we ended our day and ate dinner! Yummy southern BBQ, fried okra, sweet tea, and banana pudding! OH MY!

Eklutna Lake with Grandma

I honestly think that this is one of our favorite places to go hiking/hang out lately. The boys call it the beach. It saddens me that this is what they think a beach is like, but until I can prove otherwise it's what we call it.

I'm so glad it was such an amazingly beautiful day! I wish we had a canoe with us to go out on the lake. Maybe next time!

Ian wiggling his toes in the small little patch of sand. He is so my child!

Declan has this love of dogs! I'm sure I've talked about it before but I've been trying to teach him not to just walk up to dogs that don't know him. So this is him introducing himself to this puppy after saying "Owner, can I pet your dog?". This question gets asked a lot if we are around dogs!

Smiling Ian...I love that face!

Once again, the rock throwing commences!

Hiking up the hill to head back to the car.

Mr. Pouty Pants didn't want to leave the "beach"!

Check out my belly! He doesn't like when Ian's upset.

Thunderbird Falls with Grandma

Keeping the boys busy while the men were on their hunting trip was key! Despite Ian's lack of desire to hike, we did it anyways and by the end he was having a good time. Grandma and he were kept busy by counting all the dogs they saw along the trail.

There is something with water that draws my boys to it and they have to throw something in it! Luckily it was just rocks today!

Grandma and the little hikers!

Yep, that's ice in the end of May! Ian had to make sure that's what it really was. I guess he thinks I lie to him a lot?