My brother must've been bored...

...but this is cool! And it has almost 100,000 hits on YouTube. Watch this little video that my brother, ChaddyMac, made to amuse his boys (and himself.) Have fun, go mad!

A fun run!

You know that 5k that Will and I have been stressing about for the past couple of months? (If not, you can visit the site I set up for it by clicking on the link at the left of this page <---.) Anyway, Will and I have participated in this run the past couple of years as runners. Last year the run was a bit unorganized. In fact, the race was actually only 2.5 miles instead of 3.1. Crazy, right? (And I only found that out after I had thought I had beat my best time by like 4 minutes! I was so disappointed!) Also, it was always such a small event with about 15-20 runners at most. So, Will and I decided that we would take over the race this year and do it up right! Like a real charity event!

So, fast forward to this year. We got sponsors, volunteers, a great race route, t-shirts, medals and raffle prizes. We ended up recruiting over 100 runners and raising $1500 for Primary Children's Medical Center in SLC. A great success!

And I received this in my email inbox the day after the race-

"I just have to tell you. Your race was my fourth 5k I've ran this year and it was by far the most organized and put together.(...)You guys did a GREAT job getting it all together and I know it was a lot of work and it turned out beautiful.

Thank you so much I had a great time. -Annie Johnson"

That was from our overall female winner, an obviously very experienced runner. It was such a great feeling getting that nod from her. It makes me feel like we are on the right track and that perhaps we've found our nitch. Will really put his heart and soul into this race. I'm so proud of his effort.

And to top it off, I got 2nd place in my age category and got a medal of my own! (Which makes me feel better about having to move up an age category this year. I was in the 30-39 age group. Whoa!)

Here are some pics of the event:
Before the race-

The finish line chute-

Will writing down bib numbers at the finish line.

We've decided to continue to put together an event like this every year for charity, no matter where we're at. It was such a rewarding experience. Thanks again to all those that supported the race!

Check out this Before and After!

Most people don't know this but I am actually pretty handy with a hammer and nail! Really! The neighbors call to borrow tools from me not Will. Just call me Bob Vila! I started out with a big idea for the wasted space in our family room. I just wanted to get rid of the desk and create a bit more of a streamlined space SO I created a plan for a built-in desk. I did have a little help here and there. (No thanks to my husband, who is the opposite of handy, but big kudos to Gary and Ty!) But this project was MY baby from start to finish! What do you think?

Here's an old pic of the cluttered workspace and before any work started. Just a big cork board and the desk covering the window.

This is mid-construction.

And the finished project! My pride and joy! And my family room feels twice as big! (Click on it to see more detail.)

Spring Break Takes the Cake!

Well, as most of you know, Will has been gone all week interviewing for 3 jobs in S. Carolina. So, that leaves me here with the boys on Spring Break. I thought we'd have a pretty boring week but it's been anything but! There have definitely been times when I've thought to myself, "How do single mothers do it?!" But generally we've been having a good time and getting in lots of quality mommy/son time.

See Jenn's page for their first experience with the ice cream truck yesterday. They were so excited. I mean, how often does the ice cream come to you, right?! What a thrill! Here's an extra little bit of info- before Coleman got a bite of his popsicle he somehow got it stuck to his lip. He proceeded to rip it off and start eating. I didn't think anything of it until Jenn asked me why there was blood all over his popsicle. His lip was bleeding pretty freely in 2 places! And he was totally oblivious to it. That had to hurt. He is one tough kiddo sometimes. He just kept eating! It reminded me of the time that he got staples in his head and didn't even flinch. The doctor spent like 10 minutes telling me how much it hurt and then when she did it, not a peep! She put in 3! Yet for some reason this same kid will howl like a coyote after barely bumping his elbow on the dining room table. Crazy kid.

We also went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point this week. I thought it would be a good time to go since Will's gone and it's so dang expensive. All in all, I thought it was a pretty cool museum. Coleman oohed and aahed at every little fossil. And Cooper followed big brother around imitating oohs and aahs, very cute. They really enjoyed the hands on exhibits and didn't want to leave when it was time to go. Afterwards, we went to IKEA and had dinner and did a little shopping.

It's been a great week but we are definitely ready for Papa's return tomorrow! The boys have already begun making their "Welcome home!" poster to hold up at the airport.