My Marathon Man

Scott has definitely caught the running bug this year. He had such a great time running Ragnar, that he decided if he was ever going to run a marathon, now was the time to do it since he was already in great running shape. So this weekend we headed to Logan for him to run the Top of Utah Marathon. Running 26.2 miles is challenging enough itself. Add in downpouring rain and hail for most of it, and you've got Scott's first (and very possibly last) marathon experience. As I sat in my car at mile 14 to cheer on Scott as he came out of the canyon I could hardly see out the window through all the rain despite my windshield wipers going at top speed. I felt so bad watching all the runners pass by SOAKING wet. I breathed a sigh of relief when the rain appeared to be letting up a little, but then it was just replaced by hail. I took a picture from inside the car to try and capture the conditions. You can't see the hail that is pelting the runners, but you can see it all over the road. Shortly after that, Scott came running along and informed me his headphones had shorted out around mile 8 due to all the rain. I had an extra pair for him, but it wasn't long before they started shorting out, too. So he got to run the rest of the race with no music, but luckily he met some nice people along the way he was able to chat with. The weather began to let up a little and by mile 23 it was sprinkling on and off. Scott was still running strong, but said his shoes were so water logged they felt like they weighed 10 pounds each.

The sun emerged from behind the clouds for the first time right as Scott crossed the finish line, but I think the smile on his face shone brighter. He said it was the absolute best feeling crossing that line and knowing he was done. Despite the difficult conditions (we heard people's times were about 20 minutes slower because of the rain), Scott still managed to finish in the incredible time of 4:15:34. I am so proud of him! He says this was a one time thing, but I'm still going to try and talk him into another marathon with me, hopefully in better weather conditions. Great job to my amazing marathon man!!

Back to School

This week was the beginning of another year of Preschool for Mason. I think his prayer the morning of his first day pretty much sums up how he felts. "..thank you that I can go to morning preschool and see Mrs. Young again. Help that I can make lots of new friends. Help that I can do my work and not scribble..." Mason went to preschool in the afternoon last year and thinks moving to morning preschool is a promotion for the kids who are 4. Not only is Mason going at a different time, but his best friends from last year, Kennedy and Benson, both moved and are no longer in his class. I was curious to see how he would handle all the change, and have been glad to see how excited he is to meet new friends and after just two classes he has made several friends that are already inviting him over to play after preschool. It's going to be a good year.While we definitely miss Mason while he's gone, Brynn and I are enjoying our alone time together. It is something I've never had with Brynn since Mason stopped napping when she was born and she napped during Mason's preschool last year. I am absolutely loving the one on one time with her. I just can't believe it will be her starting preschool next year and I'll be left home alone with the baby. Where does the time go?

At a Glance

Today I took some pictures of Mason and Brynn playing outside completely unplanned and unprompted. I wanted to capture them just being themselves, and I think I succeeded. Mason is a serious hoarder. He always has bags full of his favorite stuff that he carries everywhere with him. Anything he finds along the way, even leaves, are worth collecting. He still loves imaginative play and this particular day he was a transformer busy saving the world from the decepticons, but not without his bags. Brynn is still attached to her binky and is always twirling her hair. Her favorite thing to do is pull her hair under her nose and wrap it around her binky making a hair mustache. Not very cute and causes serious tangles. You might recognize these boots from previous pictures. Brynn insists on wearing her oversized hand me down boots everywhere. It always puts a smile on my face.

Just a little bit about my kiddos at a glance.

The Peoples

It's no secret that Brynn has had some serious stranger anxiety throughout her life. While it has improved considerably, she is still initially hesistent in situations with more than about 5 people. The only difference is now she can verbalize how she feels rather than just freaking out. So when Brynn finds herself in an uncomfortable situation I usually find her wrapped around my legs saying, "There are lots of peoples" or "I scared of the peoples" in a tiny whisper like she's in a horror movie being chased by "the peoples". Silly girl. At least she does warm up to "the peoples" most of the time.

Pool Time

I couldn't possibly end the summer without a post about our time spent at the pool. As always our kids loved all of our pool outings this summer. Mason preferred it when Scott came along so he could be more adventurous. After two sessions of swimming lessons during the winter Mason knew how to swim, but his time at the pool this summer helped his confidence in his swimming ability to grow. By our last trip to the pool Mason would jump in the deep pool without either of us around and swim around taking breaths when he needs them and then back to the wall. I love how comfortable he is in the water. Brynn is quite the little swimmer with her floaties on. She loves to kick around on both her tummy and back in the deep water. Her absolute favorite thing to do is jump off the side of the pool over and over. She has no problem holding her breath and going under water, but water in her ears really seems to bother her, so she prefers just to stick her face in and blow bubbles. Here are some pictures from our last Scera Pool trip of the summer.

A Child's Prayer

One day while playing at Grandma Nancy's house, Mason was looking for a specific marble he had previously played with there.  The marble was not with all the other marbles and my mom had no idea where it might be.  Mason, with total and complete faith suggested, "Let's say and prayer and ask Heavenly Father to help us find the marble." My mom was pleased that Mason had thought to turn to Heavenly Father for help, but was extremely nervous because she was not confident she could find the marble for him.  So while he said a sweet little prayer to Heavenly Father, my mom was saying her own heartfelt prayer asking that she could find the marble so Mason would know that prayers are answered.  Once the prayer was finished they resumed their search for the marble. Just minutes later my mom had a very distinct thought to go check in a bowl in her sewing room.  There was absolutely no reason why the marble should be there and she normally wouldn't have thought to check there, but decided to go check it out anyway.  Upon looking in the bowl, what did they find? The marble. My mom was very emotional when sharing this story with me because she knew that Heavenly Father had been listening to a child who prayed in faith, even if it was for something as insignificant as finding a lost marble, and had answered his prayer.

It's a BOY!

We got to spend a half hour today watching this little BOY squirm and wiggle around inside of me. I couldn't have asked for more. I haven't been feeling him move nearly as much as I remember with my other pregnancies at this point and honestly I have been a little worried the past couple of weeks. So today I was surprised, and very much relieved, when he didn't stop moving and kicking his little arms and legs around the entire 30 minutes we were watching him. Turns out my placenta is anterior which makes it so you don't feel as much movement early on. Phew! He looked so precious as he stretched out his arms and crossed and uncrossed his legs. Most importantly his growth and development looked absolutely perfect.

There is something about seeing him that has already made this pregnancy seem more real to me. Scott is very excited to be having another boy, Mason is thrilled to be getting a brother, and Brynn is completely clueless as to how her whole world will be turned upside down in a few short months. We are so grateful for a Healthy Boy!