Raining Skittles

Natalie spilt a pretty big bag of skittles all over the kitchen floor. She was pretty upset about it. Ken shaped the gathered skittles into a heart to let her know that we still loved her.

Sprint Triathlon

I did my first sprint distance triathlon in June. It was twice as long as the one I did last year. I beat my estimated time goal by 7 minutes! I pushed myself pretty hard and it didn't feel very good, but it was a great experience. My favorite number is 4 and my race number ended up being 444. Pretty cool. My friends Kathryn Moore (who is in a triathlon club with me) and Wendy Overbay also did the race. My time would have earned me 5th place in last year's race (they give awards up to 5th), but I ended up being in 8th place. Next year, ladies! Watch out!

The consolation prize

So, the reason we went to Utah when we did (instead of when Amber would be in town, when we could stay longer or when I could do a triathlon on a Saturday) was because a relative of a friend said they would give us a sweet little dog that they had to find another home for. Well, the day we were going to leave, she called and said that she was going to give the dog to her neighbor instead. The kids were pretty disappointed. They had been waiting to get a dog for several years. Right before we were about to leave to drive back to California, Elizabeth saw someone selling kittens. We gave in to thecuteness and bought one. It was a nice replacement for the dog we almost got. We named the kitty Maile (Hawaiian for Princess). She did really well on the long drive home. Elizabeth has a rat, but this is our first family pet.

Liberty Park

The kids enjoyed playing at the great playground at Liberty Park in Salt Lake. It wasn't warm enough to get wet, but Nick and Kate played in the water anyway and had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the little rivers in the park were closed for repairs. The kids were disappointed (me, too!), but we had fun exploring the park, going over to an island in the pond, rolling down a big hill, and riding on the amusement rides.

Memorial Day in Utah

We went to Utah for Memorial Day weekend. Here are are at the cemetary where Great Grandpa and Grandma Penner and Great Uncle Kent are buried. Everyone is enjoying their free "pop". L-R: Nate, Kirsten, Colby, Grandpa Penner, Natalie, Ethan, Braden, Elizabeth, Jordan and Cameron.

My Uncle Kent died when I was young and I visited his grave many times when I was young. We always enjoyed climbing and walking on these short walls.

While we were in Utah, we went up to see the new Draper Temple.

School Programs

Natalie did well in her 1st grade program about habitats. That is a lizard on her headband. Her class told us about deserts.

Nick was so cute in his Kindergarten program. He knew almost all of the words. He was playing around with his pants and his snap came undone. He took care of that in front of a couple hundred people. :)

Ragnar Relay

I did a 200 mile relay race with 11 friends (10 of us are in the same ward). We ran from Ventura down to Orange County and it took us 30 hours and 24 minutes. I ran 3 legs at 4:30 pm, 3:30 am, and then 11:00 am, running a total of 19 miles. Our team name was the Diva Mamas and we wore pink shirts, tutus and a pink flower in our hair. We were so cute! Here's a picture of me at the end of my first leg of the race.

This picture was taken at 3:30 in the morning at the Santa Monica Pier. I tried to have a look on my face that said, "Ah... this is no big deal. I can run 7 miles in the dark by myself in a tutu at 3:30 am" I think I just look irritated. I was tired, but so excited! I was running along the beach! I didn't care that it was too dark to really see the ocean.

There were 6 of us in Van #2 and here are 5 of us right after my final leg along Huntington Beach. I did a faster pace than I thought I could and I didn't let a guy from a competitive team catch me. Yes! Next to me is Kirsten Pettey, then Cathi Bitter, Rachel Adams and Jen Perrow.

Here's our team at the finish line. We got 2nd place in our division! Everyone did so well and we had SO much fun! I loved the experience! L-R: Stepanie Clark, Rachel Adams, Allison Carter, me Kirsten Pettey, Liz Wiersdorf, Hilari Pickett, Amy Summerhays, Diana Merrill, Rachel Ludlow, Cathi Bitter and Jen Perrow.