Painter's 5K and Half Marathon

I had the best intentions of posting here on every Sunday. I ended up getting called into work for someone who was sick after church. So better late than never, right?

Saturday, the kids and I helped at the Painter's 5K and Half Marathon. It was cold and there were a lot of runners. But we had a ton of fun.



This was at the beginning of the day. Matt, Nick, and Riley Orr are helping unload the boxes off the table.



Now that the tables are clear, we can get to work!



After the first layer of cups, Ella can barely see to add more!



Ella's attention span is not very long, but she was entertained for a while by playing soccer with an empty water bottle!



This is the first wave of clean-ups before all the runners come. Nick and Tanner Chadburn had a race against Matt and Riley Orr to see who could pick up more bottles.





While waiting for the runners, Matt tried unsuccessfully to do some pull-ups and Nick got into a wrestling match with Michele Chadburn. It looks like she won.



We're ready for the runners! (This was only 1/2 of the water and gatorade, though!)



Matt and I were at the beginning handing out energy shots. (They are full of electrolytes and sugar to help the runners keep up their energy.) Ella asked what they were and for a lack of a better explanation, I told her that they were food for the runners. So when they came by, Ella would yell, "Do you want some food?" Some of the runners were lauging so hard that I was afraid they were going to choke on them!



Matt is always a great helper whether doing water, gatorade, or energy shots.



Nick was super cold, but he's a great helper too!


We love to help out at the races. It's a great way for the kids to do community service and they can see immediate differences in how they help people. The runners love it too. Sometimes they will pass over me to take a cup from the kids. The runners are always so grateful too, and it makes us feel great. The clean-up afterwards can sometimes be a mess (Think all of those cups that were on the table on the ground.) but we usually find a way to make it fun. The kids love having a new pajama shirt too. (They don't have small enough sizes for them to wear it as a regular shirt.)

If anyone wants to join us, we are always up for help!

New Year's and Back to School

The kids and I went to Salt Lake over New Year's. We had great fun with all of the Stratford Family at the annual Grandpa Chic's Birthday/New Year's Eve party. This year was almost like the ones I remember growing up. There were games in every room, lots of yummy food, and of course, hitting pots and pans at midnight.



New Year's Day we spent with the Olsens and Cranes in West Valley. We went and saw "The Princess and the Frog." It was my second time seeing it and the kids' 3rd time. This time, we were all singing along with the songs. I am going to have to get the soundtrack for it- because the songs are so catchy. We love that movie. I especially love it because it is hand-drawn animation. It reminds me of the Disney movies from when I was growing up.

As I was pulling the pictures of New Year's off my camera, I found this picture from the BYU vs U of U game. The past two years, I have bought blue hairspray at Halloween and saved it for the game. I think that next year I will need to buy some Red too, for Matt. I think that really it's just fun getting dressed up and watching a good game.







The kids started back to school this week- THANK HEAVEN!! We were all ready to get back into a routine. I start school tomorrow. This semester I am taking Physiology, Microbiology, and another Fitness Center class. I know it's a heavy load, but they are the only classes I have left to take. My application for Nursing school is due on March 1st, so cross your fingers and say a few prayers for me to get in!

The other adventure that is going on, is that I was released from Primary. For almost the last 10 years, I have been Primary Pianist or Primary Chorister continuously. I guess it is time for me to grow up and go to Relief Society and Sunday School. I did get a new calling though, Cub Committee Chairman. I have spent a lot of time lately doing training and learning exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I am excited to be able to help out our scouting program, and through it Matt and Nick. It should be tons of fun!