Duck Tape Diva...

I bet you are wondering why Kelsey is wearing a Duck Tape Bracelet? I bet you are also wondering why she is SO EXCITED about said bracelet? It looks unassuming enough. It is after all made out of Duck Tape, not diamonds or even pearls. So why is my 6 year old BEAMING from ear to ear about Duck Tape? Why has she worn it to school and even bathed in the Duck Tape bracelet? Well since you asked I will tell you why...

This is no ordinary piece of Duck Tape. It was given to Kelsey by her dance teacher Miss Bethany. In Kelsey's dance class, if you are working very hard and doing your very best, Miss Bethany will occasionally give you a sticker. These coveted stickers are only for those girls who are giving it their all and dancing very well. On even more rare occasions, there will be a dancer who is working exceptionally hard. This dancer will be smiling, doing sharp movements, staying focused and determined. On these occasions, Miss Bethany will announce that said dancer is the Duck Tape Diva, and she will bestow on her a bracelet made of Duck Tape! Now to be honest with you I have never seen anyone become the Duck Tape Diva. Kelsey explained how the "Divas" are crowned when she came home shrieking with excitement!!! She was so proud of herself!!! Anyone who knows Kels knows she LOVES dancing. She tries very hard and is determined to be the best dancer she can be. Kelsey dances at least 6 hours every week and starting next week she will be dancing 8 hours a week. She never complains about going to dance. Every morning she comes in my room and says, "Good Morning Mama! Do I have dance today?" She has been asking me that same question EVERYDAY since her first Jazz 1 class almost 4 years ago!! She watches So You Think You Can Dance and insists she is going to dance like "those big girls" some day!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to my Duck Tape Diva! Hopefully she will take the bracelet off soon, because after 3 days its starting to look pretty bad!!!

Palm Springs

Last week my family met in Palm Springs to celebrate my Mom's 60th Birthday!! We had an AMAZING time! The resort was beautiful and the weather was perfect! The only thing that could have made it better was if my other sister Rae was able to join us! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! I hope I look and feel half as good as you do when I am 60. I love you!!

My 1rst Grader...

My first baby Kelsey started 1rst grade on Thursday!!! This is such an exciting time in her life, but a sad time for mom. Now begins the years where my children spend more time at school with a teacher than they do at home with me. I realized this when I was making lunch for Maya and myself without Kels. I actually teared up!! I miss her so much while she was at school, but thankfully she was having way to much fun to miss old Mom!! She loves her teacher this year and has several of her close friends in her class! Enjoy 1rst grade Kels! We love you and I cant wait for next summer when I have my lunch buddy back home with ME!!!

I'm a Big Girl Now...

Today my baby started preschool. Wahhhhh! I am so excited yet sad at the same time. Maya has been extremely excited about preschool starting!!! She was grinning ear to ear all morning while we got her ready. When we arrived at school she hopped right out of the car with NO TEARS!! I am happy to have a couple of hours to myself everyday while both the of the girls are in school, but I will miss my sidekick Maya!!! She is my "little best friend" and I LOVE hanging out with her. She makes me smile just by looking at her cute face. We love you Maya!!!! Have a great year at preschool!!

Dance Attack!

Kelsey and I just returned from her 3 day dance camp in Park City called Dance Attack. It is a great opportunity for Kelsey and her teammates to take classes from such accomplished choreographers! She had a great time and learned a lot!!! Dance Attack is just as much fun for me as it is for Kels! I have become good friends with a lot of the other moms at The Dance Club and we had fun shopping, eating WAY to much food and staying up late having girl talk. Thanks Tiff, Trist and Kath for the great week!! Dance Attack would not be nearly as much fun without you ladies!!!

This is my FAVORITE picture from Park City. Several of us took our kids to the Alpine Slide in Park City; the Slide is a HUGE concrete slide they built into the mountain that goes from the top of the mountain down to the base. In order to get to the top of the Slide you ride the chairlift. Kelsey has a HUGE fear of heights so needless to say she was so scared being on the chairlift. In order to take this picture my friend had to beg Kels to turn her head slightly to the right to look at the camera!!! I was laughing so hard; she was trying to be so brave but the fear is written all over her face in this picture!!!! Once we got to the top and got on the sled to ride down the slide she had relaxed. I love ya Kels!!! Thanks for the fun week!!!

The Triathlon...

As many of you may know Adam has been triathlon training since October. Well today was the day he put all of his training to the test! The first triathlon date finally arrived!! Adam was originally doing this triathlon with his brother Jeremy and sister Heidi (whom both run marathons and are in excellent shape). However last week Jeremy got into a horrible bike accident while training for the race and broke several bones, including 3 broken ribs, a punctured lung, and an entire list of other injuries. Thankfully he will make a full recovery, it is just going to take time and physical therapy. Needless to say he was not able to compete in the Tri this weekend :-( We were all so sad about it; Adam and Heidi decided to mark themselves with his initials, J H C, to dedicate this race to him!!

The race was at Jordanelle Resevior, which is very close to Park City. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! This is definitely one of the most gorgeous lakes I have ever been to!

I was sooooo nervous for the swim! In a Triathlon Jeremy did last year a racer drown during the swim course. I was so anxious for Adam to get OUT of the water!!! When he emerged from the lake I was overjoyed!!! He looked a bit tired, but that is to be expected after swimming 1/2 a mile!

Biking is by far Adam's strongest event. He loves to bike and passed 30 other racers on the bike course! Go Adam!! The bike leg was 13 miles.

And finally the 3.1 mile run to Finish the race. When he crossed the finish line I was so emotional. He set this goal of doing a triathlon last October and he has worked dilligently every week to prepare himself for it. I was so proud to see him cross the finishline and accomplish his goal!!!

This is just the first Triathlon of the summer, he has 2 other Triathlons to compete in before fall. CONGRATULATIONS ADAM AND HEIDI!!!!!! We are so proud of you!! I cannot wait to see Adam compete again next month!! I love you Adam!!! You are MY triathlete ;-)

The Natural...

Let me begin by saying I know NOTHING about baseball, teeball, softball or any other sport that involves a bat. My husband on the the other hand, grew up playing baseball and LOVES the sport! So naturally when the Teeball flyer came home from school there was no question about whether or not Kelsey was going to play! Adam immediately went to Walmart and bought Kels her very own tee, ball and bat so they could practice. Today was Kelsey's first tee ball game and I must say I am impressed. She throws a baseball better than I do!! She definitely does not "throw like a girl"! Adam is convinced she is a "natural". I don't know what a natural looks like, but she loves teeball and looks super cute in her ball cap! Kelsey is even more excited about teeball because her best friend Hailey is on the same team as her! Bonus for me because I get to chat with Hailey's mom Laurie whom I just adore. All in all, her first game was really fun and she has got a great swing (according to Adam, I am not sure what a great swing looks like!). Great job Kels! We look forward to watching all of your games this season!!