Mollie's Graduation

The graduates walking in

"Goodbye to Kindergarten and Hello First Grade!"

"I like your nose..." All the songs they sang were so cute!

Isn't she adorable!?

Mollie and Mrs. Bricker

Mrs. Bricker with her 3 Dare girls...I am so thankful they could all have her as their teacher! She is amazing! We will miss her!

     It's official...My Mollie is done with Kindergarten! So sad! Yes, I cried. I'm not proud of it, but I really couldn't help it. It is a sad feeling to know that your babies are growing up so fast. This year flew by! How can Mollie be going to 1st grade next year?! I am NOT ready to be alone when they go to school in the fall! The graduation program was adorable. Mollie felt so big and loved having all the attention! She kept saying it was "her night" :) They had a video that featured every Kindergartner and what they want to be when they grow up. Mollie's answer sparked a LOT of laughter. She wants to be a "circus girl" :) We had a fun dinner out as a family to celebrate. Congratulations Mollie! Such a big girl!

Marathon Mom

The whole crew. I didn't actually train with any of them but Suzi and Darcy, but they were fun to see there! 

This is the BIG hill at mile 5-6! Sososo hard!!

Such beautiful scenery running through the vineyards and orchards of Palisade!

Look at that course! I swear the whole thing was either up or down...there were no flat parts! For the record, I was able to pass all these people before the end :)

My girls running me in...I was so happy when I saw them it made me cry!

High fives at the end :)

My favorite running friends! They are amazing!

My biggest fans! 

Happy Mother's Day to me...they make feel strong AND beautiful!!

Chad is my biggest support...I don't deserve him! He is too good to me!

     A while back I decided that I wanted to run another half marathon. I've only ran one, and I felt better than I thought I would, so why not?! 2 of my running friends Darcy and Suzi said they wanted to do one too! We found a race in Palisade, CO on Mother's Day weekend and was so excited! It was a little gift to ourselves :) It was a great way to show our kids that moms can do hard things! We had shirts made with the slogan "STRONG. BEAUTIFUL. MOM." which was fun, and Darcy's dad came to be our official photographer.
     Before the race I got so nervous!! The course of my 1st half was all downhill. Seriously, it was running down Provo Canyon so it was literally downhill the whole way. THIS course was NOT!! In fact, after running it, I decided that the whole course was either up hill or down hill...I swear there was no flat! Long story short, it was hard! BUT I got to the end and Chad came with the girls to cheer me on and as soon as I saw them, the 13.1 miles were worth it!! They made me feel STRONG. They made me feel BEAUTIFUL. I LOVE being a mom!! An added bonus...I beat my last marathon time!! It was the fastest pace time I've ever ran! What a great experience!
      Mothers Day was a perfect day! I enjoyed breakfast in bed from Mollie (which consisted of a bottle of grape juice and a bag of M&M's) and some wonderful gifts before heading to church. I got totally spoiled! Carli made me a dream catcher, Regan made me a tissue paper flower/vase with card, and Chad and the girls got me all the accessories to go with my new road bike! Water bottles, lights, pedals, cleats and clip-in shoes! I am so excited!! We had plans to have a picnic with the Munchs after church but we had a change of plans...part way through sacrament meeting we noticed Carli was in tears. She said her head hurt, neck hurt, and she thought she was going to throw up. Chad rushed her home and came back when sacrament meeting was over (I had to stay to play the organ) We decided that since it was Mother's Day, we would ALL go home and be together. Soooo, we ditched the rest of church and came home! We had another marathon...we watched 'Harry Potter' movies for the rest of the day! Since my legs were tired from my race, I had no objections! It was a memorable marathon weekend!

An Invitation

     More exciting news for Carli....she was invited to play in an international tournament with the U11 Premier Team!! The tournament will be this summer (July) in Steamboat Springs, CO. We are thrilled! She is full of heart and loves the game of soccer. In fact, each year I do an "interview" of each girl with their favorite color, friends, etc. and one of the questions I always ask is what they want to be when they grow up. For the last few years Carli's answer is the same...a soccer champion! It is so fun to watch her play! She is always so small in comparison with the other players so she has to go up against girls/boys that are as big as me! So brave :) We feel it is a huge compliment to her and her playing abilities that her league hand-picked her to play up 2 age levels and represent the state! Way to go Carli!

Student Body Secretary

   We got some great news before the weekend...Carli is the new student body secretary for next year!! She decided a couple weeks ago she wanted to run for student council. She decided she wanted to run for secretary because she is organized and good at writing. I was surprised to learn that you can't just "run" for student council, you have to "apply" first. She got an application from the office, filled out her part, we filled out our part as parents, and her teacher filled out her part. Carli turned it into the office for the principal to accept. The principal/teachers then decide which 3 candidates will make it on the ballet. We were happy to learn she was accepted to run and got to work on posters, fliers, and handouts. We had posters all over the school and she passed out fliers to each classroom, to students during recess/lunch, and even put handouts in the girls bathroom! This might sound ridiculous, but I was so nervous! At one point, Carli asked me if I ever ran for student council. I told her, "No Way!" She asked, "Why not?" I had to be honest so I told her, "I was too nervous I wouldn't win!" She was a little nervous because she was running against one of her soccer friends (AND because she had to give a speech in front of the school) but she did awesome! Elections were on Friday and before school ended she found out she had won!! She is such an example to me! She is fun, kind to everyone around her, and a great friend! Congratulations Carli!! We are so proud of you!

As requested...

     I have had a number of people ask me to post pictures of this quilt, and even though none of you make any comments, here it is! I made this quilt back in the fall for Regan. This is the first time I have ever sewn anything other than curtains and Halloween costumes, so it was kind of a big deal :) Unfortunately it took me WAY too long because of a lack of time...it took forever!! All the cutting, piecing, sewing, hand quilting, and stippling may have been more than I bargained for when I started, but I love the way it turned out. Regan loves it too! Don't look too closely because you will see all my flaws but it was a great learning experience. Carli keeps asking when I'm going to make HER one so I might be starting another one soon- MIGHT! :)

You make me smile

Carli's curtains

Mollie's door jam

Mollie's first "checklist" :)

 
    I am always surprised by the shocking little things I find when I'm cleaning the house, like Mollie's name written on almost EVERYTHING. I know I should be upset by this vandalism but instead I do the opposite...I laugh! It makes me wish my kids could stay little longer because I know these little "treasures" will be over too soon. Its also funny that she doesn't think things through. She could at least write someone else's name so she doesn't incriminate herself! The last picture isn't very good, but I had to include it. Mollie was so proud of herself when she brought this to me. It's her first "checklist"! My Mollie...you make me smile! What else can I say?!