Kathy's 60th

The night was a success! Kathy was so surprised by her party and the fact that we were there!

Check out the video and photos below.

Here is her entrance. She was shocked!

We were hiding in a bedroom for a 2nd surprise.

Kathy said she was saying in her head that "this could only be better if Justin and Melinda were here." But that still didn't help her recognize Macklin when he walked up! She was so shocked she just didn't say anything because she didn't realize it was him until she saw Justin! So funny!

Successful night! Tons of fun friends and family to celebrate her!!!!

Baby 2 is a GIRL!!!

We found out this morning that our second baby is a girl! How exciting for Macklin to have a little sister in April! Everything looked good in the ultrasound and we are so blessed! I can't wait to see Justin make a little girl feel like a princess everyday!

Her hands look like a small bear paw!

This is the "Its a girl" shot. You can see her thighs too!

Think like you are looking up at her from under her sitting in a chair.

Nothing sticking out = girl!

For most of the ultrasound her hands were up near her face!

My favorite pic! What a miracle! I am in love already!

Beginning of Winter

Winter has sent it in Gypsum! The temperatures have dropped, snow has touched down, and basketball has now started. Lots of changes come with our seasons, but that is the way we like it. We love how each season brings new things and the end of others. It is nice for me to take a break from coaching and slow down a bit. Now, I just have to figure out what do to with me and Macklin from 3:30-6:30pm (seriously, mommies, if you have advice, shoot it my way).

We have tried Tumble Tots (free play in the gymnastics area of our rec center) and lots of story times at the library. We have continued our Monday swimming dates with the Brummers and played in the snow. I am back to running (now that I am not coaching runners) and working out regularly. Macklin is still doing his quiet time in his pack and play in the morning and his 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. We are just settling right in!

One of Macklin's favorite times at home is right when he gets out of the shower/bath and he gets dried off. Then, he bolts! He just loves to run around the house naked until I make him get dressed. This was the scene last week! Silly Mack. I feel like they need a sensor flag on them!

Happy Winter from Gypsum :)

Halloween 2011

Halloween 2011 did not dissapoint. It was a great event for the Gnome Family! Justin asked last year for a Halloween costume that he could wear all day at school, unlike last year. Except for when he was blowing things up in his chemistry experiments (seriously) in which his beard was a fire hazard, I think I met the request! I loved putting together our gnome outfits and was happy with the results! Here is what I used:

Hats:

I stitched the hats and made them from scratch (just red material and pillow stuffing but used a baseball cap with the brim cut off as my base).

Melinda:

Dress and shirt from Thrifty with lace

Braids made of yarn

Apron was a pillow case with a little paint and ribbon

Justin:

Bought the beard (and made the eyebrows from it)

Overcoat is a ladies robe from Thrifty

Ladies turtleneck from Thrifty

Pants he owned already (and has used many times I might add)

Belt was borrowed from a former student and duck tape added

Macklin:

Pants and rain boots he already owned

Shirt we snagged from the Thrifty but he will use again.

Suspenders just made of ribbon with buttons hot glued on

Beard (with eyebrows) we bought

Here are a few other pictures:

My favorite costume from the school contest (protesters)

Our pumpkins

Hanging out at the church Harvest Festival with Cayle (left) and of course Daniel

State XC

We had a GREAT experience at the state meet.

The boys had a blast (with a snowball fight, dinner at Olive Garden, surprise new state uniforms, the state meet, and lots of fans) and how could you not?

We were ranked 25th coming into the meet (out of 25), but as the final qualifiers from the mountains, that is to be expected. We ended up 25th, but we are not disappointed. We gained some valuable experience with three sophomores running at state (one of which took 49th) as well as two juniors, who should all return next season.

It was a great end to a fantastic season and I am grateful to have coached these boys!

EV XC Regionals 2011

Coaching XC this season has been one wild ride! I have learned so much, stressed so much, laughed so much, and cheered so much! If my season would have ended 3 weeks ago, I would have said it was a challenging year with some tough situations. I felt like each day coming home from practice was something new that I didn't know how to deal with. But, I continued to fight, praying more and more for wisdom and guidance on who to run when and who needed talking to. We had injuries and drama and all of the above. But, I would have said that I learned something through all of that and it made me a better coach. Just not as "easy" as years one and two.

Well, the last three weeks have made the fight worth every minute. The kids have really prevailed and showed how bad they want to be here and how hard they want to compete. Our workouts have been tough, injuries have been rested, and it seems as though everything is just coming together. The team is bonding and they are all enjoying the athletic experience. I have such a great group of kids to work with, and it is showing during these final few weeks.

Regionals (our only state qualifying meet) happened last Wednesday and I am happy to say, for the first time ever, that our (boys) team qualified for state! Yes, that is right!!!! Our 7th ranked boys raced themselves to 4th place (out of 11) to earn a bid at state! Our girls preformed super well, placing 6th (while ranked 9th) against some tough competition. You would have thought that we won the meet when they announced that we placed 4th; it was awesome!

So, we will head down to Denver this Saturday to enjoy our first state meet as a team!

Go Devils and congrats to my guys!

Moab

The best thing that happened as a result of my regional cross country meet being held on a Wednesday....I had a weekend off in October!!! = MOAB TRIP!!!!!

We hadn't been to Moab in the last year. So when the Bangstons and Bakers invited us along, we jumped at the chance to hang out there. Here is a little photo journal of our weekend.

Saturday: Me playing with our sweet babies in the morning! Bath time!

Justin's BEST ADVENTURE DAY OF HIS LIFE

Morning: Mountain Bike Ride of Slickrock

Midday: Bouldering

Afternoon: Cliff Jumping

Night: Watching the Cardinals Win a World Series Game and Winning Catan Himself

wow. that is all i can say. wow.

Sunday: Visit to Arches National Park

We look so little next to all of these huge formations.

What a creative God we have!