27

27.  Yup, that's me.  I had my birthday this week and I am 27 years old.  Hmmm...  I guess that sounds about right.  My birthday celebrations were spread out over a couple of days, which was all right with me because then it was like my birthday never ended. 

Day 1:  Jeremy made me a delicious breakfast then took the girls to the pool while I relaxed.  After they had been gone about an hour I realized that I wanted to relax by the pool so I went and joined them.  While I was there-relaxing-I was able to take some of the first pool pictures of the season.  

McKenzie is in love with Mr. Turtle. 

Cambrie is becoming very brave in the water and is determined to learn to swim this year.  She and Greer had a great time in the pool that morning. 

Kenzie cooled off and wanted to sit bundled up by me...she was ready for a nap :)

But Cambrie did not want to get out.  It's a good thing we will have ready-access to the pool this year. 

Day 2: The girls and I went to the zoo.  It was a quiet day, not too hot, and the girls were really well behaved.  I thought it was the perfect birthday present.  Don't worry, McKenzie's hand was not eaten by the lion skull. 

My girls by the seals. 

Smiling next to the fun flamingos. 

And what they had been hoping for all day long, a train ride.  We really had a good time. 

That night I had to run to YW, but while I was gone my family surprised me (by still being awake) and with the decorations they made while I was gone.  The girls colored a banner for me and hung streamers from the ceiling.  According to Jeremy it was quite a chore to get the girls to let go of the streamers long enough to hang them up.  We ate a delicious lemon-strawberry cake created by Jeremy.  I realize the candles say "14" but we had to get creative at 9:00 at night.  We decided 14 would work because I help with the Mia Maids...and they make me feel like I'm 14 sometimes!

And then I opened my presents.  Cambrie made me a book of everything I do for her: buying and making food, playing with her, and sewing projects for her.  I loved it.  Jeremy got me a new backpack!  I was really excited about this because the one I have been using for the last ten years was a freebie from my Moscow summer games trip as a swimmer.  It has been well loved but it's probably time I upgraded.  I thought it was a great couple days of celebration.

Rotten pregnacy tests

I normally try to keep this blog light-hearted and fun.  But every now and then I have to realize that having heartache and pain need to written too because otherwise I might explode with all of those thoughts inside of me swirling and whirling, and totally overtaking my thinking power. 

I hate pregnancy tests.  There is so much anticipation while waiting for those little pink lines to appear.  Today another pregnancy test was negative.  I am tired of negative pregnancy tests.  I am tired of not being pregnant.  Each negative pregnancy test is just a reminder of what I have lost and it brings back all of the heartache.  I have been wanting to be pregnant for about nine months now (see this previous post).  We waited a little for Boston, but then I had the miscarriage (see this previous post), and now we are trying again.  I don't think I ever realized how hard it was to be the friend who wasn't pregnant at a baby shower who desperately wanted to be.  To watch all of your pregnant friends growing with healthy babies and think, "If everything had gone well I would be that pregnant right now."  To look at the dates on the calendar and think, "Wow, I would have already been through my first and second trimester by now."  Instead of, "Great, I have to start from scratch and I'm not going to get my baby for another year...if things work out."  To hold a friend's new baby and realize, "I don't even have one in the works." 

I feel so much empathy for all of my friends who have a hard time getting pregnant.  For all my friends who are anxiously awaiting adoption to build their families.  Life doesn't always going according to plan.  I'm learning this.  My plan was to have all my kids 2 1/2 years apart.  Now, at the earliest, McKenzie will still be more than three years older than the next kid.  If I don't get pregnant this next round then I'm going to have to wait another five months to try again because of a pending trip to China (I'm not having a baby in China).  Can I really do that?  Can I really wait another five months to start trying?  By then McKenzie will be almost four years old.  Why can't life just go according to plan?  Why can't those rotten pregnancy tests just tell me what I want to know! 

Bolder Boulder

Live Bolder Run Boulder-that is the slogan that is on my race day shirt from the Bolder Boulder 10K today.  It was my first ever 10K and I truly had no idea what to expect.  I haven't really started training again since Boston, but since moving to Colorado I have wanted to run this race-and can I really say no to the 20 teammates from Redline who were running also?  I think not! 

(just a few of us before the race)

It was perfect weather and just a fun, simple atmosphere.  I was a little nervous about what my legs were going to tell me on this race, since it's fast...just longer than a 5K.  It reminded me a lot of the 200 freestyle.  You're expected to go as fast as your 100 freestyle, just for twice as long.  Everyone warned me about the hills, but I have to say that they weren't as bad as I was anticipating.  It may have been the awesome music on my iPod, or the live bands or belly dancers on the course, or the fact that my legs were holding strong, but they were very manageable.  I didn't have to walk!  That may seem silly, but it was an encouraging change from my last two races. 

(lens cap had been on, so this is a parting shot)

I admit that I was tired and when I ran into the stadium to take that victory lap to the finish line and I didn't kick it in as much as I probably could have.  But I was still pretty happy with my first attempt at this race.  Final time was 46:46, approximately a 7:33 pace.  I can go faster :) 

The best part about the race were my teammates.  I love being on a team and accomplishing this together.  What inspring people! 

I can't forget the other most encouraging people who were there cheering me on, my family.  Thanks for the support!

Preschool Graduation

This year for preschool Cambrie and I did a co-op group with her friends using the Mother Goose curriculum.  Cambrie has absolutely loved preschool!  She loves her friends, she loves recess, she loves learning, and she is so stinkin' smart!  I really enjoyed having a chance to teach and watch her learn.  It was crazy today during their preschool graduation as I realized that Cambrie starts school next year.  She will be a kindergartner....wow.   Right now she knows all of her sounds and is practicing reading word families.  She is picking it up pretty well and will be reading in no time.  She practices writing words using her own spelling and it's neat to see how her little brain works.  She is an aspiring artist and comes up with the most unique creations using scraps of anything found around the house.  She also wants to be an astronaut so that she can fly in space.  She knows she is a smarty pants and I love that about her.  I'm so proud of my little preschool graduate!

Cambrie with her diploma.

Cambrie smiling with her proud mom.

Receiving her diploma.

Cambrie's classmates (Audrey, Claire, Peyton, and Matthew)

The Trampoline

Nana's and Papa's trampoline is where the girls spent the most time while we were in Utah.  They jumped the first day we got there. 

They jumped in the rain. 

They jumped with Daddy and were given huge power boosts. 

They jumped in their swimming suits with the sprinklers on. 

They jumped with Nikita.

They jumped off the tramp into strong waiting arms.

And they jumped in their church dresses before we left for home.  These girls love, love, love that thing!

Mini Golf Giggles

Once all of the wedding festivities were over, it was time to kick back and enjoy the rest of our vacation.  We went mini golfing at Mulligans and I couldn't wait to see how the girls did.  They had a blast and were just as entertaining to watch as I thought they would be.  Teaching McKenzie the proper way to hit a golf ball was hilarious.  She would stand behind it, then she would stand in front of it, then I would position her to the left side only to have her creep behind it again before hitting the ball.  She would hit it once, run up to it and put it in the hole from there.  She had a perfect game!

 

The first time Cambrie hit her ball into the hole she jumped up and down with excitement.  "I did it!" 

Jeremy took it all very seriously, lining up every shot just like he was on a real course.  You can tell I was just having a good time. 

This picture sums up our game: Cambrie jumping with joy, McKenzie wandering around and occasionally hitting her ball, Jeremy laughing at his girls, and Dantley's trying desperately to beat his big brother. 

It had rained pretty hard the day before and the course hadn't dried up by the time we got there.  Nearly every hole had a puddle we had to hit around, over, or through.  The girls thought they were great and spent a lot of time splashing in the puddles.  I will give you one guess to tell me what happened after Jeremy lined up this shot: 

Yes, he completely soaked himself from head to toe.  You get one more guess to tell me where his ball went:  To an even bigger puddle!  He ended up hitting it into one of the ponds on the course.  Somehow he convinced Cambrie to go wading for his ball and she complied!  Yes, I was surprised. 

When it was time for our final hole, McKenzie couldn't hit her ball with enough power to make it all the way up and under the Sphinx.  After it rolled back to her a third time she simply picked it up and threw it down the hole.  That's my girl! 

A family shot. 

And what fun-filled family outing would be complete without a total melt down by the kids at the end?  When it came time to return their putters both girls completely lost it.  I actually couldn't help but laugh at this one.

Wedding weekend

Jeremy's cousin, Chalyse was married last week.  We drove out for the festivities and for the chance to see family again.  Weddings can be crazy busy, but we felt like it was pretty manageble this time around.  The first step was getting all of our party clothes ready.  Cambrie is very particular about her clothes and they have to fit just right.  To see which dress she would actually wear on this trip she put on a little fashion show for us.  She would turn, strike a pose, and give us some sassy faces. 

McKenzie on the other hand wasn't up for a show.  She looked cute anyway.

After dresses were chosen and girls were sleepy and smiling, they joined us at the temple for pictures after Chalyse's wedding.  They were cute with the bride and her new groom. 

But even cuter with their cousins.  I'm glad they love playing together. 

And a quick family picture before the wedding dinner. 

The reception was actually the next night up at the State Capitol.  I have so many fond memories of spending time up there with my mom that it was nice to be back.  The reception was beautiful and Chalyse and Daniel looked so happy.  We took an almost-complete Rogers' family picture. 

Nana posed with her silly granddaughters. 

And we got another picture of some of the cousins.  Parker totally loves all of the attention with the girls, but McKenzie was done saying "cheese."

The rest of the night the kids ran around like sugar-fed crazies (wait a second, they were).  They ran up and down the stairs, along the upper balconies, and played tag behind the many pillars available.  Kora and Kenzie kept themselves entertained for awhile making silly faces at each other. 

The highlight of the night for McKenzie was when the dancing started.  She jumped from adult to adult looking for someone to spin her and dance with her.  She danced for two hours straight before they finally turned it off and it was time for the bride and groom to make their exit. 

Cambrie only danced with her daddy and left uncle and cousins broken-hearted with her rejections. 

It was a great wedding, a fun party, and we were so glad we got to be out there to celebrate with family.