It has been a while since I have written anything. Life has been full and interesting and tiring and fun since my marathon. I have been enjoying early cold morning runs and have started doing yoga again and am loving it. I am not flexible let me tell you. I love to do yoga but am working on flexibility.

Next week in Thanksgiving and I am in the process of deciding if I should host at my house as the actual day is a week ahead. I have gone online to check out recipes and things to do ahead. There was even a shopping list provided with menu and this totally stressed me out. I would have had to start making things a week ago. I don't even like roasted turkey. Well, I do like the soft dark meat but the rest of the turkey is usually dry. I think I will brine my turkey and buy an organic one. On my list of things to do last week was to order an organic turkey. I hope that I am not too late. I also think I will do a smaller turkey. It always seems that we have way too much turkey left over and I prefer to eat maybe one day of leftover turkey.

Any great ideas for thanksgiving meal preparation? I am sure all of you have cooked all of the stuffing and soups etc. and have them frozen in your freezer waiting for the big day. Is it lame to try new recipes on Thanksgiving Day? I love the idea as I cannot seem to make a recipe more than once when serving anyone besides my immediate family. Truly.

Also, isn't there always too much food on Thanksgiving day? It just seems glutenous. Maybe a good thanksgiving day run is in order.

26.2

(Following post by Rob)

A selfless accomplishment for Wendy.

A lot of people run marathons - but a lot of people focus on themselves in the weeks /months leading to the event. Wendy didn't. She trained often - but she did it in the wee hours of the morning before any of the family would get up.

She would start her runs early in order to get back in time to snuggle the kids as they woke up, make breakfast, finish leftover homework, get them ready for school.

She made this exciting for all of us as it lead up to Saturdays race.

The girls and Augi were anxious to see her finish. They encouraged her along at the 14, 17 and 26.2 mile markers.

What a great example for them to see their mom setting her mind on something like this, work hard, and do it...do it well.

Thanks Wendy.

Great job.

Wendy and April Scott - Mile 17

Finish Time: 4:25:11

April Scott, Wendy, Rachelle Chase

Ingrid had a pajama party for her 9th Birthday. She had friends from Alpine and friends from Highland and had a disco party complete with disco ball and music. Ice cream sundaes were a hit in stead of cake. She is a wonderful girl and we love having her in our family. Our great neighbors the Morleys made her polka dot cake and we enjoyed it with Jack and Jean and Rick and Rachelle and kids.

Bike Ride

Today in 90 weather my kids and I and a couple of neighbor friends rode to Kohler's grocery store to load up on candy and rode home. Greta, who is new at the two wheeler, was a superstar. She rode up an down curbs and crossed busy intersections and stayed far to the right and away from traffic. I couldn't have been prouder. I pushed August in the jogger and tons of water bottles and then a large container of otter pops on the way home. Thanks Olive. The kids did a great job but I don't think they are ready for the trek on their own.

I'll have to clock the distance, but it was much farther than Greta has ridden in her life. I considered it a great workout and am able to count it as my 11th mile today. I am training for the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back from Logan to Park City and it takes place this Friday. I am a little nervous about my first leg as it is 6 miles with lots of hills at noon. The weather is supposed to be cool so I think I'll be okay. I have had a great time running with my sister Kerry and some great girls from my new neighborhood. We have a great "coach" who constantly encourages us and keeps up quite the pace. I think my pace has increased a bit.

Happy Fathers Day Rob

Rob - Happy Father's Day to my best friend and love. I know you are the greatest Dad for our little family. So encouraging and positive, the kids admire you in so many ways. Who else would promote a love of music, a love of the gospel, a love of outdoor fitness, a love of movies, of being a good friend, of helping anyone in need, a love of staying up to enjoy the rest of the day, a love of driving across country, and a love of laughter. (To name a few) You are such a great example to them. They love your mission stories and your Clammy McButter Bugs. Thank you for being such a great Father and for giving us such a great group of people to grow old with.
I love you, Wendy

Soda Sale

Today the kids are selling soda, water, and gaterade door to door. It is a great way to make money. Thanks to Uncle Matt who spent $50 on drinks at Costco and let the kids set up a stand on their corner in Bountiful. They made enough money to pay him back and now we have drinks to sell! The kids have already made $30 in an hour and 1/2. That's pretty good money. I think we'll get ice creams and drinks next time and try it on a hotter day. Today it is in the 50's, much too cold for a June day in Utah. Last year when we moved here it was in the 100's quite a few days in June. I think I prefer the colder weather, suprisingly. The only time that I wish it were a little warmer is on my morning run. I'll have to get a photo of these entrepreneurs and post. August is quite enjoying going along for the ride. He is sitting on top of the cooler in the wagon as the girls pull the drinks along. Summers are great. Now if I can just figure out why my house smells like burnt bacon - seeing as I have only cooked oatmeal and quesadillas today. Hmmmmm.

Grettie

Greta on her 6th Birthday. She wore that crown all day. We brought treats to her class and we picked out some really crazy ones at the bakery with rings on them - the ones with the crisco frosting and the airbrush coloring. They were a hit. Greta has become very social. In the last few months she has had many playdates with kids from her kindergarten class and insists on having a playdate everyday.

A day in the life

August has started telling me he loves me. Oh how precious is that? He says it so appropriately too. Mommy I love you. It makes me melt.

When August gets hurt he cries for a short while - has tears and a runny nose and then quickly wipes his nose with his hand and says "Better now!" He then continues to do whatever it was that cause the tears in the first place. A boy.

His favorite activity is taking his ride toy down the sidewalk at high speed. It is so great - he catches speed and conveniently slows down at the corner of our street and turns around to do it again.

His "hat" or helmet is his favorite item of clothing. He wore it all day and in the car and to the store and than fell asleep with it on. When I tried to take it off he reached up to make sure he still had it on. Could it have been comfortable?

He is enamored by our 14 yr. old neighbor Morgan who he calls "Organ" She will ride him down the street over and over. The girls love her too. She is the perfect neighbor. She loves kids and likes to babysit. We like that her paretns are next door if anything should happen while we are gone.

Olive is spending the night with her grandparents. She needed a little one on one time and that is what I am sure she is getting at Jack and Jean's. She will go to church with them in the morning and we'll pick her up tomorrow night. This is great for Olive as she is usually our babysitter. Olive's report card had one B. She was so bummed. I didn't tell her that I was so happy to get all B's. She doesn't need to know that. Olive is taking piano again from a great teacher. She is having a totally different experience as her last teacher was Russian and was very hard to understand. This teacher is a great teacher and I think Olive will learn a lot from her. Ingrid is taking piano from her daughter and I am excited for her to start lessons this week.

Greta learned to ride a bike today. Rob is the best teacher. He is so patient and encouraging. I am lacking in those departments so I decided to mow the lawn so that Rob could go on a bike ride when he was done with the lesson. Greta shed no tears until I started to help her. She insisted that she needed her Dad. I was so proud of her. She rode around the block several times by herself. I remember the day each of the girls learned to ride their bikes. Olive was so persistent. She just decided one day that she needed to learn and we took her to Waluga park and had her ride on the baseball diamond. She just got on that and took off. She is persistent. It went so well that when Ingrid was ready we took her to Freepons and had her ride down the slight hill on the grass and she took off immediately. It's so fun to watch them try new things and to see them in their success.

New Things

Up these stairs is the girls room. It is big enough for their three twin beds with room to spare. There is one small closet that Olive has claimed as her own. It is her room I guess and the girls have their clothes in another bedroom closet. Having a new house doesn't mean it all makes sense. One day when they are more brave and want their own space, someone will venture to the bedroom in the basement. I am sure it will be August. We have this unfinished part to our basement and we have some old furniture and some boxes that we haven't emptied scattered around. This is where we have all of the kid's toys and the treadmill. There are large windows that passersby can peer down into. This is the scary part of the basement.

Dumb Ass. We have started eating hummus again. August loves it. It's great except for the breath it leaves you. He calls this great snack "dumass". Love it.

So we have a new house in a neighborhood that feels like church camp. The houses are all about the same age, the people are all about the same age, and 98% of us go to the same church. I am not worried that I won't get to know my neighbors. If I don't meet them at the park or pass them on my run, I am sure to get to know them when I work with them at church.

We just got back from Sunday dinner at Jack and Jean's with Rick and Rachelle and their kids. It's much different than our Sundays in Oregon with our little family. We used to go to the park with friends and that was really nice - but in the winter we were pretty much stuck inside like Dr. Seus's Sally and Conrad on that wet wet day. We quite like the white snow but mostly to look at and recreate in. It isn't so great to wear heels in or to fetch the mail in.

We enjoy our recreation center where Olive goes to swim team and where I bring the kids to run around the indoor track or play on the machines. Olive is swimming faster every day and she has earned several ribbons. She is also in the Aline school play Calamaty James which she enjoys very much. She goes to practice at 7:30 in the morning which is early for her. It makes for long day when we have swim team in the evening.

Ingrid is busy playing in the snow. She is a great example to me. She started reading the Bible recently and does so before she goes to bed. I am inspired by her persistence. She wants to do Basketball and play the drums. I think we'll start her in gymnastics again because she does handstands nonstop.

Greta is learning to read. She and August are playing together very happily lately. She dresses him up and builds forts for them on the kitchen table. The other day I walked in and they had a comforter spread over the top of the table with pillows to lay on and a pile of all of their stuffed animals at their feet. She fed him lunch there, read books, and took a "nap".