Avery is 1.5

My little girl is growing up fast!  She has been more and more fun as she has aged.  Sometimes I wish she could go back to the newborn stage again...  But mostly I just really enjoy the moments because I know how quickly they pass.

She can say 40 or 50 words, she LOVES being outside and digging in the dirt, she is very social and will yell, "HI!" at strangers till they can't ignore her any more and say hi back.  She's very mobile and runs around all day and pushes chairs around so she can climb up onto things.  She likes repeating words and really tries to get them right.  She loves reading books, and will "sing me a song" at my request.  She gives lots of kisses and hugs to Todd and I, as well as to her beloved Nay and Mini-Nay stuffed unicorns.  Sometimes she hugs her graham crackers too.  The three of us have lots of fun together.

She calls ice cream "ice bum" and loves to eat it.  And her word for gum is "bum."  The girl loves to have bum and ice bum! He he.

I love reading to her before nap time and bedtime.  Feeling her tiny warm body in my arms and relaxing into the rocking chair to just savor her for a few uninterrupted minutes...  Aaaahhhh. :)

 

   

   

   

   

 

The Healthy Happy Family

I finished my "12 weeks of crap-free" eating.  Finally.
I also ran a half marathon, and I'm training for a century bike ride.  I rode 50 miles yesterday!  I've lost lots of pounds and feel energized and motivated and excited about life.  Simply put, I feel like myself again.

Todd started the "Specific Carb Diet" a couple months ago.  It is really strict, but supposed to help colitis and maybe even cure it.  Todd can't eat any grains, sugars, corn, potatoes, milk and lots of other things I've forgotten.  He has stared tapering off his meds to see if he can stop taking pills altogether.
I still eat grains but not nearly as much as I used to because I only cook food we can both eat. It wasn't fun to eat in front of someone who was trying not to eyeball me with sad hungry puppy-dog eyes. lol.  At the very least it has transformed our pantry and fridge into our own little produce department!

Avery doesn't eat much, but she loves smearing her food around and rubbing it in her hair.  She's always been quite robust, so we aren't worried about her playing with her food more than eating it.  She is doing great and is such a joy to be around!

And she just woke up, so that ends this post!

Happy Anniversary, Eight Years and Counting

Two days before our anniversary we decided to take a trip to St. George to celebrate.  It was a great trip.  I mean it, seriously we had a really good time!  Avery has been getting better and better at going on trips, and it's so nice to be back in the swing of things where we can just pack up and go.  Recently we have been staying in hotels, since camping has been a nightmare with Avery.  But I think she's ready to try camping again. :)

On Saturday we ate out for breakfast, biked 14 miles (up STEEP hills and into HUGE wind gusts which really sucked,) swam in the heated hotel pool, took a fantastic refreshing nap, grabbed some Cafe Rio and ate dinner at Pioneer Park, where we hiked and climbed and watched the sunset.  Avery went to bed and Todd and I relaxed and watched some HGTV (my favorite channel and a special treat whenever we're somewhere with cable.)  What a perfect day!

Sunday Todd went for a 2 hour run, then I went for a 1 hour run.  We packed up and checked out, then went for a 15 mile bike ride along the Virgin River.  It was flat and not windy, and a breeze compared to the previous day.  We picknicked at the park and blew bubbles with Avery, before driving home and getting lunch on the way.  Mmmm, Albertos!  What another fantastic day.

I feel so free and capable and happy.  And we want to have another baby, which I know will take that away from me for a couple years.  So I am really, really enjoying this part of my life right now.  I don't mean that I will be bound and incapable and depressed when I go through another pregnancy and birth, because there is so much happiness and love and bliss in having a baby.  But yeah, I'll be honest.  I'm kinda dreading doing it again.  It was hard.  Really hard.

I just keep reminding myself that going through the difficult parts of pregnancy and having a baby was totally hands down worth it.

 

Avery spotting daddy: 

 

Avery literally LOVES climbing.  It's in her blood.

   

The actual angle of the previous photo's climb: 

   

   

Sunset:

   

Biking lunch break

   

   

   

Blissfully blowing bubbles with beautiful baby:

 

Phoenix Marathon and Half

Todd did the Phoenix marathon, and I did the half marathon.  It rained and was a little windy and cold, but overall it was a well organized fun race. 

Todd got his personal best for a marathon, 3:14 if I remember correctly. 

I got my personal worst for a half, but I don't care. :)  I wasn't in it for speed, just for being free and able to do something like run 13 miles again.  It feels so good to be in shape!!!!!!!!  It took me 2:30 to finish.

We stayed with Todd's brother and family, the Tim Hammonds.  Libby ran the race too, her first marathon ever!  It was so fun to stay with them and let Avery get to know her Arizona cousins a little better.  Any time one of their 5 kids would sit in my lap Avery would freak out and yell and cry.  She's got something coming to her when we decide to have another child!

Since we both ran the race neither of us had a camera or took any pictures.  Here are a couple photos we did snap with Todd's phone (which have nothing to do with the race):

Avery and Henry, 3 weeks apart in age:

 

I just love how Avery's tummy hangs out over her pants. Tee hee :P 

 

My beautiful baby is getting big fast. 

The Yurt

We stayed at a yurt with some friends a couple weeks ago.  It was really fun!  The yurt was a big round room with a kitchen, beds, and a wood burning stove. Avery LOVED it and stayed awake till midnight with all the grown ups (despite me attempting to get her to sleep.) 

The next day we hiked around a little frozen reservoir and sledded with the kids.  Avery loved this part too and would cry when someone else took a turn on the sled, because she wanted to just keep sledding.  I think we have an adrenaline junkie on our hands.  Which parent did that come from?

Here are some photos:

 

The outhouse full of frozen sewage 

 

Incredible view from the yurt

   

Van enjoying a cup o' joe

   

We ate gourmet food while there.  And Bacon.  Lots of bacon.

   

Kate pulling the kiddos

  

We got to watch a lot of dog mushers

  

In spite of Avery's expressionless face, she really loved sledding

  

Brave mommy

  

The men hiking our precious cargo back to the car:

  

Thanks Hoover family!  Let's do it again some day.

Avery

So silly.

Page Arizona

We visited Page, AZ for Todd's first Ultra Marathon!  He signed up for the Antelope Canyon 50k (about 32 miles) and his brother Mark signed up for the 50 miler.

Todd and Mark were both leading their races and could have won!!  Little did they know, the race crew was scrambling to finish marking the course as the race was in progress.  Mark missed a turn because signage wasn't up in time.  Todd caught up to and passed the race crew as they were marking the course....twice.  He even helped place flags on one section.  At one point the course was marked incorrectly, leading Todd and five others 6 miles out of the way.  Eventually the race crew fixed it so the rest of the runners could stay on course.

Todd ran/wandered 34 miles and then called me to come pick him up.  Mark and other runners did the same.  He was a little disappointed that the course was so poorly prepared and he didn't finish the race.  But at least they gave him a bowl of chili at the finish line.

Other than the flop of a race, the trip was great.  We stayed in a cheap hotel.  Avery and I hiked to the Horseshoe bend.  We ate dinner watching the sun set over Lake Powell.  We hiked through Lower Antelope Canyon (which was AMAZING!!!.)  It was short but beautiful.

 

Avery is giving the cameraman a crusty

   

And a close up of that crusty:

   

   

I forgot her gloves so she wore mine. :)

Descending into Lower Antelope Canyon

   

 

It was cold but we bundled up
  

   

   

   

This looks like a cat:

   

I see a face in this photo.  Do you?