Super Saturday

Snake River Half Marathon-

Yesterday we began our morning with a bit of pre-race family yoga. Then we ventured over to the Sake River Half marathon. Nikki, our friend who lives by the event took our kids and let them play around on her farm while we ran. They had a great time playing in the mud, rocks and stream.
Ricky and I had a great time doing our run. It was super windy and the wind switched a few times during the run, but overall it was really pretty outside and it was so nice to be out running again.

Ricky ran a great run and ran it in 1:24 minutes(his goal was 1:25). He snagged third place in his age group. Here is poppy proudly holding his medal.
I ran it in 1:58 and was happy that I broke two hours. No PR, but at least my hip held out and overall I felt pretty strong and good, even with an intense headwind on the return.

Afterward we went down to Lewiston to the Asotin indoor water park. It was pretty fun, although the Hot tub was the nicest part for me.
Afterward we picked up our new-to-us, old, tiller for $25. A co-worker of Rick's hooked us up with her parent's tiller that they no longer use. We are excited to see how it works and it will be nice not having to borrow someone else's this year.
We polished off the day with a stop on the way home at Patty's Kitchen, tasty Mexican food with delicious veggie tamales. It was a great end to a fun filled day. Our bellies were full, our bodies well worked out, and we were then greeted with this beautiful sunset. The picture really doesn't do it justice, but it was very pretty.
We then came home and read a few stories and went to bed.
Oh, and Rick and I watched the Movie "Hotel Rwanda"...seriously, if you haven't seen this movie you should. I am amazed that the world could allow such atrocities! My heart has been filled with a sadness for all people who are subjected to horrible injustice and cruelty. It makes me want to shout from the roof tops "Peace and Tolerance"!
In fact I sudder to think that we (our country) has brought more violence to regions around this world. It's too bad we can't all just get along. Truly if there is something i cannot understand or comprehend it is discrimination and injustice.
I like to think WWJD...what would Jesus do.
Then to top off my weekend I taught Sharing time today on Christ. His life and that he has filled for us, the atonement, that we cannot do for ourselves. I'm glad i get to teach these children about love, respect and an understanding that there is a plan for this life.
We are SO blessed...may we always remember that.

Sunday Sampler

February family vacation to to grandparents was a big hit. We first had a fun time seeing grandma and grandpa Edge, along with the cousins Willie and Micah. While dad attended meeting the kids were lost in a world full of imagination and play, with grandma taking roles such as "shark" or any other character they could think of. Poppy was successful in keeping all of the boys in line and making sure she got plenty of snuggles from Grandpa (Micah was quite sad to have to share is snuggly grandpa). We also got to visit all of the Aunties and uncles (except for Reed who we certainly missed).
Grandma Kayser was a treat to see on our way out of town. Poppy gave her lots of snuggles and it was so nice to spend time with all of our grandmas.(Horse powered snow sledding. Grandpa pulled the kids up and down the road. We also played some human hockey puck by tossing the kids back and forth on the tubes. The Road was so icy that it was perfect.)
Grandma and Grandpa Dilworth's house was a big treat. Oscar had a hard time staying inside. That boy would spend hour out exploring the snow drifts, chicken coop, tractor, and any other diversion he could find to keep himself out in the winter wonderland.
He thought this snow drift looked like a nice place to take a nap in the sunshine. I then had to convince him to come inside to get ready for church...he was not happy about that.

If I am ever lucky enough to have a few acres of land...this is what I want to own. grandpa's Newly re-furbished Ford-9n 1939 tractor. It was so fun to drive. Even Oscar was able to drive it down the country road. He wasn't too sure what to think of it at first but by the end of our trip he was loving it. Ah, brings me back to my country bunkin' days.
Oscar had fun trying to catch the chickens in the coop...he was never successful. Even in an enclosed environment those Chickens were quite feisty...in fact the Rooster gave him a bit of a chewing out from up above in the rafters.
Poppy LOVED the horse "Queeny" When we arrived she couldn't wait to get on her. After riding for a little bit on the horse, we asked her if she wanted down and she said "no". She was so happy to be up there riding...a girl after her mom's heart.
We were lucky enough to see a lot of cousin's this trip. At Grandma's we saw Russel, Aleshia, Brighton, Jason, Braden, Bryce, Hayden, Ryan, Mitzy, baby Lynlee, Aunt Joanna and uncle Adam, Aunt Verena, Uncle Lance and Moria, Auntie Rosa, and Aunt Marie.
We then stoped in Pocatello on our way home to see Aunt Katrina and our cousins, Kyle, Daniel, Julianna, and Heidi. We had some tasty cold stone ice cream and we were on our way to Boise.
We stopped in Boise and stayed the night at My Aunt Eileen's house where we saw My grandma Mary Dilworth (my kindred spirit).
And My Aunt Eileen and my great-Aunt Ingajean. We had a nice visit seeing these three wonderful women. I love to feel their sweet hugs and warm smiles that remind me of how much I am truly loved, and how many wonderful people I have had in my life.
This trip was such a fun time for us to really see a lot of our family and to have some fun experiences.
A big Thank you to all who shared their homes and time with us. We really loved being able to see all of you!

Sampler

One toddler, two toddlers up on top...we will not let our toddlers drop...(a.k.a. ten apples up on top, Dr, Seuss)
Fall with friends!
Friday the kids were out of school so we took a fun little hike at a fun park in our area. I love the feel of fall and the pretty leaves. Not to mention just hanging out with my kids.
This will be our prelude to the real sampler that will be put together tomorrow...for now I'm ready for bed.

Confrence Sunday Sampler

Today could very well epitomize fall wrapped up in a nice cozy package. We had the great opportunity of listening to conference (held in Salt Lake City and sent via internet, T.V., satellite Etc.. throughout the world). Twice a year, spring and fall, our church leaders hold a two day conference, full of inspiring counsel and direction to encourage all within its reach to stand a little taller and be a better person. Today was the final day of the fall conference, and I felt a sense of renewal and joy in being a mother, wife and friend.
Truly this life is about being part of a much bigger circle. Each of us has a the capacity to love, serve, and make this world a better place. I'm grateful to have the knowledge of a God who truly knows me and that I can have access to him through prayer. What a wonderful world we live in!
Along with watching conference, we took a walk to our Sunnyside park where we feed the ducks, pigs, lamas, and play on the toys. The pictures above show the trail we take to get to the park and Poppy and I laying down on the Merry-go-round. The air was crisp and fall -like, the leaves were changing colors and it felt like a beautiful fall day.
Following conference we ventured over to our Friend's, the Eaton's, for Samantha's birthday party.
It was a great party, we went for a hike on the hills across the road from their farm house, the kids had horse back rides, and then had some tasty pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins (all whole food made), and a bowl of mixed nuts and fruit.
Nikki my friend, and Sam's mom, really makes an effort to do things all organic and local (if possible). I have posted their ranch previously on my blog, but they raise organic free-range beef. It was delightful to see all of the kids having good-ol' fashioned fun! I don't think they even missed the sugar-laden cake...it was a real treat!

Annual Harvest Sampler...

Throughout our married life there has been one tradition that frequents this time of year. Canning. From the start we have had some really fun experiences canning and preserving food together. In fact one of our "saved" for purchases during law school was a pressure cooker. I'm sure that when we get to grape-juicing time I will elaborate more on our "first" juicing project...it is a great story that I shall leave for another day!
Here are some fun shots of yesterday's harvest.
What can be better than the summer/fall harvest? Maybe the first spring flowers. Alas, I cannot eat them...therefore I would submit that harvest time is the most rewarding for ALL of the senses...Need I say more than the earthy yummy smell of basil...or the invigorating, mouthwatering, taste of a fresh self-grown tomato??? Truly this is the time of year when my mouth and nose exclaim "Now this is REAL food!"
Here are the mounds of fruits and veggies that my sweet canning hubby canned yesterday. He really did all of the tomatoes and peaches by himself (Oscar helped a bit) but I was doing some pesto and had a baptism to go to. He did allow me to "watch" the pressure cooker for a little bit while he ran to get more bottles (I do think he was hesitant in doing so...he stressed the fact that I needed to do 5lbs of pressure for 10 minutes and adjust heat accordingly). For a more in-depth view of the project you can check out his blog. (fair warning, he has updated the format of his blog to include a up-close and personal view of my nostril)
Really, I'm so grateful for such a great husband who isn't afraid to don his apron strings and put a little muscle into the canning process. He is such a great guy! How many men do you know who would do such a thing??? Tomorrow, we will tackle the pears together.

Today we visited a favorite park in Palouse, this swing is really fun...it's like a merry-go-round on a swing. Ricky can only push for so long before he starts to get a bit woozy. Poppy, I think has inherited my tough tummy genes when it comes to heights and motion...Oscar hasn't been so lucky. Immediately after leaving the park he announces that his belly doesn't feel good...Rick's response is to make sure and puke out the window. Thankfully we didn't have to resort to such action.

Sampler...

Signs you are "in training" for a marathon or other long-range exercise goal:

1. Rug burn in unsightly places (thus finding new uses for butt paste and Vaseline).

2. GU, electrolyte, hydration, fatigue, Ibuprofen, Ice, bands, stretching, water etc... become common conversation topics in social situations.

3. You own more exercise gear than regular clothing, your laundry consists on more athletic gear than regular clothes, and you spend your discretionary play money on running/exercise equipment (i.e. shoes).

4. Black toenails and blisters on your toes...Oscar told me the other day that I had old feet!

5. You are so tired at the end of each day that you vaguely remember hitting the pillow!

6. Suddenly, when running long distances with gas, a full bladder or other bodily behaviors you otherwise would try to contain or hide...your mind no longer cares who or what is around (and when desperate, leaves are a necessary alternative to TP).

7. One develops an intense uncontrollable appetite. Thus, you invent creative meals consisting of various carb-full meals. Such as, the night before your 18 mi. run, a great carb-load dinner can be oatmeal and raspberries!

8. Distance becomes relative...you begin to think things like...it's only a 10K or half-marathon.

9. You are always certain to get one annoying song in your head that somehow won't go away. Baby beluga frequents my running routines (this may be because I'm a mom??). The other is annoying songs from high school (why do they surface during exercises?).

10. You plan every vacation around a running, cycling, or athletic event! The fun of it all, is that it gives you something to work for!

Now, because of 5. I will leave you to think of some more...my pillow is calling...

Lazy Summer Sampler...

Week two post Marathon...I also had all of my spinning classes canceled for the week. I spent the majority of the week taking a break from real exercise. Yesterday I did do a 10mi run and it felt great! I'm grateful for the nice week-long break.
It was kinda nice not having any schedule to stick to. We spent a bunch of time at home catching up on stuff and hanging out. Here are some tidbits of our week...

Double Dive from the Ricky and Lil'O...A certain sign of summer is spending every evening (or most) at the pool. We look forward to meeting dad there after work.
Oscar and I also went "school shopping" for the first time. I'm sad to see my little boy growing up! He is such a great kid. I"m sure it will come as no surprise when I tell you that every piece of clothing he chose was of "hero" variety...I let him choose, which is also a big step (for both of us)!
Big Girl panties!! Potty training Pops...going quite well, she is very interested and stays fairly dry...She also lost all of her Binky's this week. So we have decided not to purchase any more...we are therefore Binky-free (it has been hard on her going to sleep, but tonight she only cried for 1/2 hr rather than 2). I'm not sure I like making these big growing-up steps all at once...she's now no longer a baby!
Spending some time at the river with friends...Poppy actually even did quite well missing her nap. Oscar not pictured due to his exploration along the beach and too busy for me to take a pic!
Ummmmm.....fresh home-made-hand-cranked ice cream! Ricky scored a vintage hand churn ice cream maker on eBay for $30. Tonight was the trial run using Autie Em's tasty recipe.
I'm certain this is the first of many more ice cream making days to come...hopefully my waist doesn't expand with our new addition!

Ice cream recipe...
3 Cup Cream
1 Cup Milk
3 Egg Yolks
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
Vanilla (to taste)
Heat cream and milk until scalding. Beat sugar into yolks. Pour scalding milk into yolks while beating. Add some vanilla (1 tsp-ish) cool.
Freeze

Sunday Sampler...

The only problem with vacations, is that you come home with so much to blog about...therefore I have decided to start a weekly series on my blog called...The "Sunday Sampler"(truly this is a knock-off idea, pirated from my friend Betina's "three things Thursday"). It will basically consist of tidbits of our weeks activities.
This week we spent the first half in Utah visiting the in-laws... Oscar and Poppy had a magnificent time spending every waking moment being loved by the grandparents.
In fact one night as I was getting Oscar ready for bed he said "Grandma and Grandpa are so busy loving me!"
That pretty much sums it up...grandpa and ma spoil them until they can't take it any longer and then put them to bed. Only to rise the next morning and start again.
Meanwhile Ricky and I spend some time out running a marathon, getting our hair cut etc...
Then we come back to the house and eat tons of food! That is what happens at the Grandparents house...GOOD FOOD! Homemade ice cream, panini's, lasagna, etc... We get so spoiled that is it hard to come back home.
Ah, and being at grandma's house with the beautiful gardens and chickens makes one want to sit back on the patio and watch the days go by...
Tomorrow...back to reality and laundry!
The latter part of the week we spent getting back to normal...we still aren't there. Yesterday we went to a bluegrass festival and had some tasty vegetarian food at the Green Frog Cafe.

We also spent some time on our bikes...it was a welcomed change in pace from our regular long-run Saturdays. We rode to the farmers market and picked up some yummy corn, blueberries, basil and bread. Oh, how I love fresh produce!!!

Random Sampler

Ummm...A salad entirely from our garden!
This peachy delight comes from the NPR heirloom recipe contest...Click Here for the tasty peach puzzle recipe. Even if you don't like cooking, you should look at the recipe it is really cool how you make it.
Look MA, I've grown! Oscar asked Rick to cut the feet off his pajamas so he could still wear them. He then opted to wear both the jamas and booties to bed.
This is Poppy's latest addition to her facial expressions. When doing something naughty, I will say "Poppy are you being naughty?" Her response is to tilt her head and proceed to scowl at me untill I stop looking, and she can proceed doing the naughty deed. Yesterday she struck this pose for about 5 minutes while getting into daddy's work bag.

Random Tidbits

1. Mr. Digital camera took a fall and will be out of commission for a little while. Hopefully, all the kings horses and men will put him back together again!
I may have to go to photo archives to keep my blog a photo happening place.

2. Currently I'm on a no-junk food diet (including: anything chocolate, candy, cracker, snack food variety items) during the week. Having said that, this is what I ate this weekend (besides my regular food intake):

-Copious amounts of Easter candy that I deprived myself from during the week.

-Chocolate fudge strawberry waffles

-Strawberry yogurt ice cream with hot fudge on top (twice)

-Chips and salsa (due to comments, I may need to add this to the ok-to-eat list)

-Cookies from a going-away party

-A few chocolate chips

As of yesterday morning, I am junk-food free until Saturday! (Betina and I are still looking for a great reward for the winner who can do the challenge the longest. Any suggestions?)

3. I was recently thinking about Pullman and all the cool people I have met since we moved here. This is a list of countries that I have met people from:

-Ukraine: Natasha

-Russia: Irina

-Germany: Lotah and Umgard

-India: Susmita and family

-Korea: Lee family

-Palestine: Reem and Samer, and cute mom who was visiting

-Mexico: Javier and Sara

-Argentina: Marcos

-Ecuador: Andrea

-France: Natalie

-Canada: Betina and Family

-I have also met people who have (or will be) adopting babies from: Kazakhstan (Emma), Ethiopia (to be determined), and Guatemala (baby Marcos, not here yet, but soon!).

What a cool place to live where so many different cultures come together!