Everything Else

What a wonderful trip! I split it into a lot of posts because that's the way I like it. I am usually not very great at documenting trips...but this one I really wanted to remember. It was a special trip to me. This stage of life is special to me, and I am trying to soak it all in before I wake up and its gone.

My adorable cousin Brynn got married and we just had to go! It also helped I was the hair stylist for the event. Since her bridals were a week before her wedding, we decided to head down early and make a vacation out of it and amazingly, my aunt and uncle were sweet enough to host us for over a week. We can't thank them enough for making such a great trip possible for us! I thought I would do one last post and toss everything in that I hadn't mentioned yet. Here goes.

Kyle loved his little neck pillow. He was such a miracle traveler. We only stopped once each way...and it wasn't even for him really.

Grandma took us to Balboa Park to ride the carousel and the train. It was great.

Kyle taking a dip.

The big wedding of course! Brynn was so beautiful. We just love her!

The last night we were there we hit one last MLB game. It just so happened to be Mormon night. Woohoo! Can't ever get enough baseball.

Other things to remember:

• Getting our traditional Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frapp. Yum
• Zorro's Taco shop...we went three times. Cheap and SO yum. 
• Going through the temple with Brynn. Loved it.
• Ryan meeting all my extended family...finally.
• Falling in love with San Diego deeply.
• Kyle getting way too spoiled with all the love and attention
• Trip to Marshall's....so much better than Ross and TJ Maxx
•  Bacherlorette viewing party
• Kyle's first bloody nose.
• Late night Food Network viewing.
• Most delicious nectarines and peaches. I couldn't get enough.

Yep. We had an amazing time. We couldn't have asked for anything to be any better. It was just what we needed. Tomorrow it is back to work....which is good too. Life is good.

4 Years

So many things were wonderful about our trip, but maybe my favorite was that we celebrated our anniversary while we were there and San Diego happens to be where we spent a bit of our honeymoon so it was perfect. We had planned to go to the Padres/Rangers game because we try to plan our trips around MLB because we just love it that much. Anyways, that was the plan, We took Kyle and it was his favorite part of the whole trip. We went down to where kids can play and holy smokes. He was giddy. He also scored a free Padres ball from a worker there. Rangers won, need you ask? It was great. Our plan ended there...but then we got a surprise!

Later that night my Uncle and Aunt offered to take Kyle and send us to the Del Mar Fair...which we had never heard of but whew! It was amazing. We can't thank Mark and Lori enough for playing with Kyle...who also had a wonderful night (didn't want to come home with us).

The fair was so much fun. We went to the Hot Chelle Rae concert...which was so refreshing. It has been way too long since I went to any kind of concert. We also tried deep fried oreos, which were amazing but you can't have more than one. Wow. We also had a red velvet funnel cake...I know...overload! So amazing though. We passed on the rest of anything you can think of deep fried. We then ended the night with a Ferris Wheel ride at sunset overlooking the beach. I felt like I was in an episode of the OC and I loved every second of it. Best of all we just had a blast acting like we were 16 and care free. We wandered around laughing and playing all night. It was so fun and beautiful and everything great.

I say I can't believe it has been four years but really, it feels longer than that. My life before Ryan seems like a different lifetime completely. It is cliche to say, but I am so lucky to have found him. A special youn women leader once told me when I was younger that when you get married you should feel like you are marrying "up". Like you are getting the best deal in the world. Like you can't even comprehend that someone so wonderful is marrying you....but the trick is BOTH people feel that way. I always remembered that.

Ryan fit that then, and still does now. He is full of qualities I can only hope to develop someday. He makes me laugh each and every single day. There is never anyone I would rather do anything with, even shop or clean the bathroom....it is always him. He is always my favorite.

The Zoo

Another day we hit up the San Diego Zoo. We had so much fun again! Kyle's favorites seemed to be the giraffes and the biggest snake in the park...and his chicken nugget lunchable.  And maybe brushing the goats hair, or the porcupine that waddled by us after lunch?

Sea World

We, like most people, love sea life. Shark week? Yes. Massive whales/sharks/anything else cool? Uh huh. We couldn't wait for Sea World. The day started out right when the parking attendant randomly gave us free VIP parking...in the second row right outside the entrance...saving us $19 on parking. We knew it would be a magical day.

Kyle loved it from the moment we stepped in the park. He LOVED all the animals, but the dolphins seemed to really have his attention. He would talk and wave to them, and cheered at the shows...and was dancing all the time in between. 

The real hit of the day came when we went to the Sesame Street land, where Kyle was tall enough for all the rides. I have never seen him so excited, or enjoy anything quite as much as Elmo's Flying Fish (equivalent of the Dumbo ride). He seemed so grown up, and had so much fun.

We loved watching Kyle enjoy himself so much. Late in the afternoon he crashed in the stroller, and we enjoyed some funnel cake fries. What a great invention those are!

And I can't forget the penguins. You might remember that Kyle has favored penguins since birth basically...well in the gift shop he found a real life size Personal Penguin. We love Sea World!

Seals and Battalions

Our first day in San Diego we decided to go see the seals in La Jolla. My family used to always go when we went to San Diego and I thought Kyle might enjoy them. And enjoy them he did. It was the perfect start to what proved to be one of the very best weeks we have ever had. 

Then we headed home and I got to do a little bit of bridal hair, which is always a treat for me. After that we headed to the Mormon Battalion  Visitor's Center. What a cool place! They have fun, interactive videos and activities. It was really neat to hear more details about that story. I loved it. Also? We are related to someone in the Battalion. Famous. Next time you are in the area you  should definitely check it out. And they include a family photo. Hello.

Father's Day

In my wildest dreams I couldn't imagine a more perfect dad for my baby.
There was steak. (delicious thanks to Aunt Diane)
There were gifts wrapped in Kyle's art work.
There was sports watching.
There was playing outside.
We celebrated the Dad of our house. The very best Dad ever.

*pics are from the Padres game from a different day...but they are my current fave of the boys together.

The Beach

We had a lot of fun at the beach. We decided on Torrey Pines because my cousin suggested it and we were not disappointed. It was so beautiful and it felt like we basically had it to ourselves. It was cloudy for about an hour but then the sun really came out. Perfect. Kyle loved jumping the waves...but insisted on washing his feet off immediately when sand stuck to them. He had an awesome time. We all did. Grandma was even able to join us. It was such a great day. Kyle looked festive in his awesome beach clothes from Jeff and Kate...and I think Ryan regretted not wearing his swim suit...we were all soaked by the time we left. 

18 Month Pictures

I wanted some official 18 months pics of Kyle, but didn't want to  couldn't justify hiring them out. So we tried to do it ourselves with our way too old camera and a way too busy boy. Not the best, but I like them because they are him. We went to a pretty park in San Diego...but he didn't want to play in the really pretty part. Meh. You do what you can right? He is still pretty darn cute!

Handsome lil' man.

Wonderful

Kyle and I have a little tradition before he has to get shots. We go get a donut together, because I think the poor little man deserves a wonderful morning before the pain in the leg. This morning Ryan decided he had some time to join us real fast before work. 

We chose the Creamery on 9th. This place is a definite perk of a few more years of BYU life. The rest of the day is jam packed with busy things, but this morning was a wonderful start to the day. It feels like summer. Oh summer. Sweet, sweet summer.

*Little man rocked his shots today. He was smiling again before be even left the office. Rockstar.

Happy Half Birthday

Sunday was Kyle's half birthday! You probably remember how our family feels about half birthdays. We believe in them. We celebrated Kyle's on Friday, because the weekend was already packed. We made him half a cake (red velvet of course...his fave), gave him a lunch full of ketchup, and let him pick out a toy from the store. He picked a yellow soccer ball...and wouldn't let go of it all Friday afternoon. I can't believe how old he is getting. There isn't any baby left in this little guy. Current favorites?

• He talks so much! The last few weeks his vocabulary has exploded. He is so chatty. I think we are the only ones who know what he is saying most of the time, but I love listening to all his words.
• He loves to play games. Especially hide and seek...he is a little too good at hiding sometimes. 
• He loves to sneak up and scare people. He says shhhhh and then rawr! It is hilarious.
• He really loves sweets. He savors each bite with an mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. 
• He insists on dipping all his food. Ranch, ketchup, salsa...he just needs to dip.
• When you ask him a question he often says "ummmm"...before answering you.
• He is clingy for the first time ever. 
• He can count to three!
• He loves. LOVES Jeff's iphone. He can turn it on, unlock it, and get to his favorite apps all by himself.
• He loves Katie and Jeff. Period.
• He loves straw cups...and loves them even more when they are full of something fizzy.
• He dances to everything, and is actually usually on beat with his movements. If the song changes, so do his moves.
• He chugs his drinks. He starts sucking...breathes through his nose and doesn't stop until the entire cup is gone.
• He loves to unload and load things...like drawers, laundry baskets...anything.
• He screams a really high pitched squawk when he gets super mad.
• He makes Buzz Lightyear fly with sound effects.
• He shares his lunch with his dinosaur everyday.
• He knows the actions to itsy bisty, hinges, sunbeam, and a few others.

It is cliche but he is growing up way too fast. It is so crazy to watch him turn into such a little man instead of a baby. He communicates so well, and has strong opinions these days. To say we love him would be an understatement. Happy half birthday buddy!

 Ready for some ball

Kyle's First Race

Back when I signed up to run the Utah Valley Half I noticed a Kid's Fun Run 1k on the sidebar of the screen. I assumed Kyle would be too young...but nope. 0-12. It was free. So I signed him up. I was excited for him and Ryan to have something to do while they waited around for me to finish. They are fabulous fans, but I always feel bad making them wait so long. So I thought it was a great idea.

When I found out I wouldn't be able to run the race, I was still excited Kyle was signed up. It gave us an excuse to head down to the fun race atmosphere and participate somehow. I LOVE the finish line feeling. I might have cried while watching a few (complete strangers) finish the marathon while I waited for Kyle. I also ran into a few friends who ran, so it was so great to be able to congratulate them. Anyways. Back to my point.

Kyle got a whole legit little packet, complete with a shirt and a number. Cutest thing ever. So we dressed him up, strapped on his Nikes, and took him down to run. He was so excited the whole morning he just kept running everywhere. Once the race started he headed out, but ended up needing some help from Dad. I was so proud of him! As they rounded the corner my mom took him to the big finish. We then found him relaxing in the shade with his orange and ice cream. Just like a real racer. I think next year he will be able to run the whole thing on his own. Go Kyle! I hope I have a new running partner in a few years:)

 Starting line

 I think he hit a wall just steps from the finish. Glad Grandma was there to carry him through! (literally)

 Creamie wade it all worth it

Summer Fest

We hit up Orem's Summerfest (one word? two?) this weekend. We only did a few things, and ended up bailing before fireworks because of the weather, but we had fun while we were there! Katie/Jeff/Kevin/Erin/Kids were able to join too. Kyle rode the merrygoround and Kate and I hit up the sizzler. I haven't laughed that hard in a REALLY long time. We were both crying by the time we got off. It is nice to feel like a kid again sometimes. Only regrets? We didn't get a funnel cake. Maybe next year.

 Why ride a pony when there's a Rooster as an option?

If not then what?

I have talked a lot on here how much I love to run. I am not great at it, but I love it. It fits in my life more as therapy than as exercise. It makes me feel accomplished, strong, proud, and it has become one of the main things that makes me feel like...me. A good run, especially a long one, can pull me out of any kind of slump.

The last month I have been fighting some knee pain. I could usually warm up and it would fade, then run through the pain if it returned. I wasn't too worried about it. Then on one longer run a few weeks ago it got really bad. I decided to take a week off. By the end of the week it had filled with fluid and was really stiff. I decided to go to the doctor. Bad news. He told me it was bad. That I shouldn't run anymore. Not my race coming up* not the full marathon in July, and maybe not anymore in general. I won't get into the details, but I was devastated. I cried all the way home.

Then I went to see the specialist the next week. It was the same guy that replaced my ACL when I tore it skiing/playing volleyball in high school. He is really great. He gave me hope...but said I needed to surgery to remove some cartilage and explore further problems. So that is my day tomorrow. I am not at all concerned about the actual procedure. Recovery to normal activities will be quick. But the fact that best case scenario I am running again in 6 months...that terrifies me. I know there are other forms of exercise I will be able to do. But its not running. Like I said, I don't run to exercise. I take fun classes to exercise. I run to stay grounded. I run to be me. I run for self confidence. I run to test myself. I run to push myself.

I know it could be worse. I know it will be ok. But tonight? Tonight I am a scared mess.


*This race was something I was so looking forward to. I was running it with bff Mare. The first one we were going to do together since 2009. I have heard it is a really fun course, and Mare is about one of the only people I enjoy running with. I am glad we got a few training runs in together before I had to call it quits. Still so sad to be missing it this weekend. 

Mare and I after our half in 2009