All up to date :)

Here is a picture that I took of a sunset recently on July 31st.  

We finished bowling on a double date and were about to

go to the Cheesecake Factory for 1/2 off cheesecake day :)

I need to brag a little.  I have started running and I ran 4 miles today.

I'm so proud of myself.  Jared and I are going to run a 4 mile race next Saturday.  

Yay!

We are going to try for a half marathon in October or November.

Lucky

Sometimes you don't know how lucky you are until something

big in your life happens.  I think that is what happened to me

after the miscarriage.  I look back at my life and all that has

happened and I think I started taking things for granted, 

even though it took a long time to have Ashton.  I feel so lucky

to be able to experience raising Ashton, as I did my other two.  

I didn't realize all the little things I missed as they grow, the 

innocence of childhood, their laughter, and bond that you create 

with them as their mother.

I love being a mom!

Here are pictures of Ashton:

 Ashton and his cousin Ali holding hands

 Ashton brushing his hair

 Ashton enjoying his first creamie

 Ashton fell asleep hugging his Elmo

One of my favorite pictures I took.  I love his big brown eyes!

Here is a quote that I love that I posted earlier from another blog.  But I feel so strongly about.

"there has been nothing, is nothing, and will never be anything else in my life that could ever bring me such absolute...joy. It's about believing that being a mom is what I was put on this earth to do, and that there is nothing NOTHING matters more.

So I don't know about you, but I can't think of a single job, position, degree, award, or responsibility in the world that allows me to make more of an impact of importance...

or gives you greater return on your investment."

I am a mom and proud of it.

Washington Road Trip

We got to go back to Washington for the second time.  This time I went

with my kids, my sister and her kids, and parents and brother.  

We took 2 days to make the 12 hour drive both there and back.

It was a long trip with kids outnumbering adults.

 Ashton and Ali relaxing in the front seats during a stop

 Some pictures of the trees and fog on the drive up

 Ashton with my brother's dog 

 Ashton doing what he did best - climb the stairs in their house

 In the park - going down the slide, and Ethan getting ready to dunk and after he dunked.

 Kolya, Ethan and Eli

 The tent the cousins slept in :)

 The park we visited

Pinewood Derby

Ethan pretending to eat his pinewood derby car.

Someone raced his car for him because we

were in Alaska during the pinewood derby.

Scout Camp

I got to go to scout camp this year.  It was my first year going and it was fun

to be able to go with Ethan and share that time with him.

Ethan with some cub scouts in his pack

 Ethan ready to do archery

 Ethan by a mini dinosaur statue

Ethan trying to dig and do excavation work.

Bowling

This summer we have had quite a few chances to go bowling with 

getting the pass of all passes.  It's been fun taking the kids!