Bridle Trails State Park 10 Mile Trail Race

This weekend we drove up just north of Seattle to Bridle Trails State Park so Andy (and a few other guys from Church) could participate in the 10 Mile Trail Race there.  Andy started getting interested in trail running after we moved to the Pacific North West.  He has always been into running, but likes trails because they are a little more scenic.  I am not sure if the scenery was a selling point for this race though.  It was tough, and Andy has been a little sore ever since!  He made great time, clocking in at just over an hour for the 10 miles (I will have to ask him the specific time) and thankfully the weather wasn't too bad.

 Here are some fun pictures from the event.

Here are the guys before the race!  They were all warmed up and ready to go...the race stared a little behind schedule, so there was some standing around.  It was freezing, and aside from running 10 miles there were people out there in tank tops and shorts...I don't care how many miles I run - still too cold for that!!

Finally getting lined up for the race.  It officially started between 3:20 and 3:30pm.  The trail was a 5 mile loop.  The people running the 5 mile race started first, followed by the 10 milers and then even some for the 30 mile relay.   Since the days are so short here, the 30 mile runners were required to have their headlamps...I can't imagine how late they were there!

Here's Andy and Dunn at 1/2 way through the race...they were booking it!

Still smiles at this point, but you can definitely tell they are pooped!  Dunn is one of the Young Men from church, and him and Andy kept pretty good pace together the whole time...with the other two guys right behind them!  

Here is Andy coming into the finish line!  He said that about mile 8 or 9 he was ready to quit...but he pushed himself a little harder at the end and made great time.  The trails were muddy AND lots of hills so these guys sure got a workout!! 

Here are the guys again after the run...I think they were all pretty sore on Sunday at Church.  

We had a great time watching too!  It was sure cold though and by the end of the race Noah was crying to go home!  I can't blame the poor fella.  

Way to go guys - Can't wait for the next run! 

*Update:  The race results were posted and Andy came in 7th out of 99!  Way to go Babe!

Simple Things

This week has been really low key.  Most day's we just stuck around the house while Andy was at work.  It's good for me to do that, not only does it allow me to get stuff done at home - but it keeps me from going out and spending money! Which is always a good thing, right?

The kids have been busy though, or kept me busy rather.  Noah is going through a little bit of a 'tantrum' phase and we are trying to graciously work through it.  Besides that he is his normal sweet self.  Earlier this week, while getting him to bed, he insisted on reading a CARS book while laying there.  Since we made him turn the lights off - we decided to let him wear Andy's head lamp for a little while so he could look though his book.... he, of course, loved that.

He is also always willing to help mommy when she is making something in the kitchen.  Here he is stirring the flour....and then he ate a little of the dough too - which I find disgusting seen as though it was bread dough! gag. He loved that too though :)

Clare has been crawling all over the house.  If I am making dinner I will set her and Noah in the front room to watch some Leap Frog or something, Clare will notoriously end up in a different part of the house (usually Noah's room, or the bathroom - if I forget to shut the door) and I have to go searching for her.  She is loving this stage, and so am I!

Lately Clare has been especially interested in Andy's Xbox.  She loves to press the power button, hear it 'ding' and watch it turn green.  We try to remember to unplug it so she isn't constantly turning it on and off, but if we do forget, well....this happens....

You can see how excited she gets.  I was going to tell her to turn it off, but then realized that defeated the purpose of getting her not to touch it.  She cracks me up.

Hope you have all been able to enjoy some simple things this week!

New Year, New Recipes.

So I have been trying a lot of new recipes lately.  Not only do I get bored with having the same thing all the time - but it's fun to try new things.  Feast your eyes on some of the things that we have had or will be having at our house...

1. Smoky Orange BBQ Chicken Sandwiches   2. Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup   

3. Sesame Chicken   4. Southwestern Cream of Chicken Soup

5. Chocolate Whoopie Pies   6. Beef, Bean and Pepperjack Baked Flautas

7. Breakfast Panini  8. Pretzel Bites 

As always, you can check out my Pinterest for other recipes I can't wait to try! 

Simple Things

Well, a lot happened this week - and then again, nothing did.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we got some snow this week.  So much so that Andy ended up having the whole week off due to inclement weather!  It started on Monday, continued to Tuesday, kept snowing Wednesday and freezing rain came Thursday.  Wet and cold, cold and wet!  We barely left our house for 4 days and if we did it was only to go out and play in the snow.  Finally when Friday came the roads were ok enough to make a trip to the gym and that was about it.  Needless to say, by Saturday we were all itching to get out of the house!!

Regardless of our house arrest, I found plenty of simple things to enjoy...

* A warm and comfortable home!  Many of our friends lost power for a couple of days, but we were fortunate enough to keep ours all week. I love electricity!

*Downton Abbey.  Andy and I found this show on Netflix and are officially hooked!  Season 2 is now playing on PBS!  Check it out.

* Children who managed well being stuck in the house all week!

* The beautiful view...

* Rosy little baby cheeks...I think this is one of the cutest pictures of Clare.

* When the time came, I was especially grateful for Charlie's Safari Family Fun Center!  They provided a couple of hours of exercise/fun for our little Family.

Wish I could have gotten a picture of Noah but he was off in the bounce house!  Can't wait to go back.

Hopefully you found some simple things to be grateful for this week!

Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow.

You know the movie White Christmas, and this musical number.....



Well it has definitely been snowy here in Washington, at least in our neck of the woods, and we are loving it!!  Yesterday Andy had the day off and it was a perfect chance for him and Noah to go out and have some fun! They started off by helping the neighbor make a snow fort and ended the morning making a very handsome snowman right in our own front yard.

Unfortunately Frosty didn't last through the afternoon, he fell over and was decapitated by nap time.

While the boys were outside playing, baby Clare and I were inside making some warm soup and cornbread for lunch.  Clare has recently developed a fascination with the button on Andy's Xbox and will go to great lengths to push it - as seen below.  She got stuck in this position and screamed until I helped her.  Funny Girl.

I love snow days.

Simple Things

Last night, as I was saying my prayers...I became very overwhelmed with all of my blessings.  You see, yesterday was my 30th birthday.  Seriously - how did I get to 30!?  I tried to reflect on the past 30 years and what I have learned.  I am really not a deep person, but I am definitely an emotional and sentimental one.  I have so much to be grateful for.  It's amazing when you look back and can clearly see how your life has been directed to a certain point.  My 20s were great, I loved them.  I learned a lot about myself and I have a feeling my 30s will be just as great.   This is a big year for our little family and as Andy said - the best is yet to come!

So what did we do to celebrate?  Andy surprised me by having his mom come up to watch the kids so we could go out.  It was so nice to spend time with just Andy.  It really was one of my favorite nights since we've been in Washington.  We went to the gym together (something we use to do all the time before we had kids), went and saw a movie and then found ourselves a cute little sushi spot to enjoy.  We then topped it off with a walk though the mall and some frozen yogurt.  It was so much fun.

Other simple things that happened this weekend..
* Clare officially began crawling and even pulled herself up on the couch last night.  Andy and I were so surprised!
* Family lunch at Costco...always puts a smile on our face.
* My favorite cereal was on sale at the commissary.  I love it when that happens!

Here's to being 30 and the Simple Things in life!

Simple Things

This post will mainly be about Noah and Clare (that doesn't sound too unusual, does it?).  We actually had a short week this week, since Monday was the observed New Years holiday and Andy had it off.   Ironically, sometimes the shortest weeks feel like the longest ones.  The kids have been great, as usual - but here are a few simple things I noticed this week.

Noah ate every bite (and then some) of his lunch on Wednesday.  This is a BIG deal, seen as though it rarely happens.  Noah is such a picky eater that we fight with him frequently to eat the food I make.  Right now it's a losing battle - but on Wednesday I found this....

I praised him for cleaning his plate (minus that small bite of his turkey dog)...the odd thing is, he asked for a snack 10 minutes later!  Growing boys!

Secondly, I caught him watching Cars 2 in style...

  

He wore my shoes for at least 20 minutes...I can't blame him though, they are pretty comfy! 

Noah has entered a stage where, when he gets really excited about something, he clenches his fists together and does this silly little laugh, 'hehehhehheehe.'  If I see him doing it I will often mimic him and say, "Are you so excited??"  Anything can trigger his excitement...food, cars, watching Mickey Mouse etc.  Last night we were on our way to some friends house for dinner, Noah kept asking where we were going...when I told him we were going to friends house for dinner he would reply, "play with friends cars??"  Finally, after him asking several times I told him, 'Yes, Noah, we can play with our friends cars.'  To which I heard his silly little laugh and then him say, "So excited Mommy, so excited."  Ha.  I sure love this little guy, what a perfect example of the Simple Things! 

Anyway, before I bore you too much I have to include a little blurb about sweet Clare.  She has been trying her hand in gymnastics, and I think she may have found her niche...what do you say? 

Lastly, a little picture to leave you with.  Nothing like ending a great weekend and a spiritually uplifting day with some AFV.  It was Noah's first time watching it, and I am pretty sure he loved every minute. 

100 Day Streak - And Other Resolutions

A week or so a go I was reading on a friends blog about a 100 day streak she was challenging herself to complete.  She has set goals (hers are all health related) that she must adhere to for 100 days.  The idea is to make these goals habits.  I latched right on to her idea...I love it.  I have always tried to set goals for myself at the beginning of each year - but have often felt discouraged when I mess up one week into it.  So, with that I have challenged myself to a 100 day streak.  Here is what it will look like....

Melissa's 100 Day Streak

* Study my scriptures for at least 20 minutes each day

* Go out of my way to serve someone each week (for the100 days) 

*Exercise at least 4 times per week for 30 minutes or more

*Eat only one dessert/treat per week (for the 100 days)

* No eating after 9pm

I also have a couple 'themes' that I want to focus on for this year.  Just things I want put a little more time into.  

-Focus on practicing more patience with myself, my children and others.

-Try to see, and make note, of the Lords Tender mercies in my life every day.  

“The Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ” (David A. Bednar, April 2005 general conference).



Here's to a new year!

Simple Things

I had an entirely different idea in mind for my Simple Things post this week...but since I am behind (and am still working on it),  I decided to post about something a little different...

PANCAKES.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Pancakes.  Noah loves Pancakes.  It is arguably his favorite food.  When he asks for something to eat, and you ask him what he wants, 9 times out of 10 he will reply, 'Pancakes and Orange Juice!'  Now we obviously don't give it to him every time he asks, but I try to make pancakes for breakfast at least once a week.  He always gets excited...which I love.  I mean, it could be something much worse- right?

Even Baby Clare loves them! 

Growing up we always had my moms homemade pancakes...a recipe we still love today! A while ago I found another recipe that I have also loved making - Oatmeal Pancakes (made with whole wheat and buttermilk).  They are delicious!!  Go here to find the recipe.  

Christmas 2011 Instagram Collage

As I've mentioned in the past - I love the iPhone app Instagram.  Here is a little collage of my favorites from our Christmas holiday.

PS. Stay tuned tomorrow for my Simple Things post.

Christmas 2011 Recap

I can't believe that it is already 2012.  This past year was an exciting one for our little family, and I have a feeling this next year will be even more exciting!

BUT....before I get too ahead of myself - here is a little recap of our Christmas in Idaho.  Be prepared, there are a lot of photos.

The drive to Idaho was surprisingly painless.  All except the last leg from Boise to Idaho Falls.  For some reason that last part of the drive is excruciating!  We made it though, with our sanity intact.

This year we spent Christmas with my whole family AND Andy's whole family.  It really was a once in a life time chance and we loved it.  Splitting time between both families can be stressful, but all it all I think we worked it out perfectly.

When we first got to Idaho we had a couple days to finish our shopping for stocking stuffers and just some time to prepare for all the family coming in. All of Andy's siblings were in town and all of mine were as well.  We even got to see many of my extended family members, whom I hadn't seen in years.  It was a special treat.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent mostly with the Stockhoff clan.  We took some family photos, did a craft, made cookies, ate delicious food and put on a family Nativity.

 Here's the entire Stockhoff clan, in all their glory...

Andy and his Siblings...

Aunt Natalie and MacKenzie with all their nieces and nephews...pretty adorable bunch!

The craft was put on by my BFF turned Sister-in-Law Allice.  It was a hit!  I admire my little menu planner daily.  Here are all the ladies with the finished product!

After all that fun, the kids frosted cookies for Santa.  I can't help but crack up at this picture of Noah, who mostly ate the frosting...but managed to get some on a cookie (I think).

After some food (and frosting), we moved on to the family Nativity.  This is actually the first time we have ever done a family nativity...and I think it's a tradition I want to continue!  What a special experience to share with all the little ones a reminder of what we really celebrate at Christmastime - the Birth of our Savior.

Andy, I and baby Clare were Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus.  We really had so much fun...and everyone did a great job.

Christmas Day was also a special day.  We spent the morning and most of the Day with the Stockhoff's and then headed over to my parents house to spend the evening with my family.  It was wonderful...and we were all blessed with some generous gifts!

Before opening gifts we all headed to church for a little Christmas program.  I wish Christmas was on Sunday every year!  It was perfect.  After church we opened gifts and had a great time just hanging out together.

And who would have thought, I finally fit in with the rest of the people in the Pacific North West...I got me a North Face jacket - which I absolutely love.

Hope your Christmas was as wonderful and as blessed as ours was.  Here's to a great year in 2012!!