Triathlon

I know what you're thinking....Heather ran in a Triathlon!?! No way! And you're right, it wasn't me. It was my kids. They participated in a Youth Triathlon in Rexburg on September 6th. It was a really cool event. We watched friends in it last year and my kids really wanted to try it out. Mason had some scout commitments, or he was too old, or too cool...I don't remember. But my other 3 kids were excited to be a part of it.

Now lets start off by saying that this is the FIRST time my kids have done ANYTHING even remotely like this. They have never run in any races or swam in any races or biked in any races. This was all new territory. Happily this Triathlon is very "first timer friendly" and of course "kid friendly."

Back story -- This is Sadie THE DAY BEFORE THE RACE learning how to ride a bike. Yes, I am ashamed to say that my 7 1/2 year old did not know how to ride a 2 wheeler. We had tried many times over the past few summers...but we never had good results. She just couldn't get it down and after one or two attempts, she would quit and didn't want to try again. All summer I had been begging her to try again. No amount of bribery from us and shaming from the neighborhood kids could convince her to try again. She was convinced that she would never learn to ride a bike.

Yet, she wanted to be in the triathlon because her best friend was in it. They let you ride bikes with training wheels or scooters if you want, so that was what she had planned to do. Then her best friend's mom (who was one of the race organizers) came up with the perfect incentive. She said she would bake Sadie her own batch of cookies if she would just TRY to ride her bike. She didn't have to be successful, just give it a good honest try. Sadie agreed and we were off to the church parking lot. Remember this is THE DAY BEFORE the race. It was amazing. It only took one round of me running along behind her and she was off. She was in heaven. She loved every minute of it. What freedom!!! She didn't want to quit when it was time to go home for dinner.

Okay, back to the Triathlon.

The 3 kiddos before the race 

So the race began with swimming across this pond in the background. I don't' remember what the lengths were, but each age group had a different distance. They were allowed to use flotation devices and had helpers in the water to assist if they needed it.

 The girls loved the swim caps that they could decorate

 Sadie and her bestie -- Charlotte -- swam together. Good times

Colby and Renae both had a pretty tough time during the swim. It was SO cold and a really long distance for them. We honestly don't do much swimming in Rexburg so this was the most challenging part for all 3 of my kids.

A view of the course so you can see what they were taking on...oh, and it is about 30 feet deep so no touching the bottom.

Colby in the "Transition Area" -- this was so foreign to all of us...changing from swimming to riding in seconds. It wasn't fast and polished, but exciting none the less.

Renae was riding Eric's bike. It is huge. Unfortunately, as we were getting bikes tuned up for the race she realized hers was WAY too small. This was the only thing bigger we had, but it was not really a good fit for her. She was in tears and ready to quit by the end of the bike laps, but we encouraged and cheered her on and I am proud to say that she didn't quit!!

 Colby tearing off on his bike. He is our most experienced bike rider. This part was easy for him.

Sadie was still a little shaky on her bike. She had never been out of a parking lot so this was tough. But she did it and still had a smile on her face. Mason hopped on the track and rode with her just to keep her company.

 The only pictures I got of the kids running was Colby starting out and Sadie coming down the home stretch as she ran around the lake. It was challenging as a mom, to be everywhere at once. They ran the races in a staggered start time...but they were only a few minutes a part so at any given time I could have one kid in the water, one on bikes, and another running. It was tricky to keep track of it all and be there to cheer them on in the right places at the right time.




It was a long hard race for my kids. We didn't train at all (like we should have). But they all crossed the finish line. More than that, they all RAN across the finish line! And even though they looked about ready to faint, they had smiles on their faces within minutes (once they caught their breath and had some water).

I'm really proud of my little racers!!!

When asked if they plan to do it again next year....they all said YES!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day Weekend my sister and her family came up to visit. They had wanted to come during the summer but we were just so busy with Girls Camp and my getting ready for school to start, that I just couldn't fit it in. So we had them up for Labor Day and thankfully it was a beautiful weekend.

 Eric and Brad spent Saturday morning fishing on the Henry's Fork of the Snake River. 

They didn't catch much, but still had a fun time.

I honestly can't remember doing anything special with my sister

...I think we just sat around and chatted, relaxed, and played with kids most of the time. 

Which was heavenly.

This kids built a fort in this big box...they had a blast!

If we did do something cool and I forgot about it...sorry Janelle. You can remind me later :)

 Baby Emmy sucking on a green bean from our garden

Speaking of gardens...we did manage to take a little time at the BYU-Idaho Gardens. Such a fun place to wander, let the kids roam, and take a few good pictures.

First Day of School 2014

First Day of School Pictures

1st day of school was August 27th. Late compared to Arizona...but I wish it was after Labor Day.

I was frantic and crazy that first morning -- since it was my first day too! 

So the pictures were a bit rushed and they aren't edited (I have no time for that!?!)

but they are what they are. They are growing up so fast it makes my head spin!

9th grade -- at the Junior High

14 years old

 7th grade -- at the Junior High

12 years old

 4th grade -- at the Middle School (where I work)

9 years old

2nd grade -- at the Elementary School

7 years old

My Popcorn Classroom

As soon as Girls Camp was over, this is what consumed my life...getting my classroom ready for school to start. Eric kept telling me that I was spending too much time worrying about what my class looked like. And he was right...I didn't even think about what I was teaching or what my discipline plan was until the very last minute. But I really wanted to set up a fun and energetic environment in which to work in. My kids were all a big help and they took turns coming to work in my classroom. Like everything else in life, I procrastinated for way too long, but I finally got it put together. I am pleased with how it turned out -- it makes me happy every day that I am there just seeing all the fun decor and the bright colors. I kind of stumbled into a Popcorn Theme. Not sure how I got to that point, but I really fell in love with it.

My unfinished desk area...hanging behind my desk is the quilt 

that my Aunt Marde made for my mom when she was teaching...passed on to me! 

Many things in my room were passed down to me from my mom.

THANKS!!!!

A friend helped me cut out the vinyl lettering -- love that phrase

Another friend bought me these fun popcorn napkins and dish towels for decoration

Renae arranged these fun popcorn bins for my nearly empty book shelf

 Pop Into a Good Book

A few of my bulletin boards that carry on the popcorn theme...

Renae was so kind as to illustrate all the lunch choices. 

Sadly, she isn't there to do it each day, so we have reverted to plain old words. 

This cupcake birthday chart just made me smile:) -- I love bright colorful things and this was perfect!

Update on school: I am still way too busy and I'm putting in too many hours, but finally, after 3 months, I feel like I'm mostly "on top of things." I am really enjoying my job and I love my students. Teaching makes me happy. Yes, there are stresses and sometimes other parts of my life get pushed aside (ie: dinners, laundry, house cleaning, shopping) but I'm trying to find the right balance and I think I'm getting closer. My kids have had to grow up a lot...which isn't entirely a bad thing. They all make their own breakfasts, lunches, and get themselves ready for school with no help from me. I'm proud of them and how independent they are becoming...but I still feel guilty about it sometimes. Still, I leave when they leave and I'm home before they get home. It isn't a bad set up.

Girls Camp -- Your Once Upon a Time is Now

One of the highlights of my summer was Girls Camp. Yes, I was the Camp Director again. We stayed at an amazing camp site. I had 2 amazing assistants and a group of amazing girls (including my Renae who turned 12 just 2 weeks before camp). The only thing that wasn't amazing was the weather. This picture was taken during one of the few breaks of sunshine that we had the whole week. It rained almost non-stop the entire time we were there. It was really tough...but we were tougher. These girls did amazing things -- like cooking, hiking, and certification in the pouring rain. And they did it in SUCH good spirits. You won't believe me, but it is true...I never heard a girl whining or complaining or wanting to go home. It was phenomenal. I love these girls so much and I am so glad I got to be their Camp Director.

 Cooking up some yummy chow

Look at those bright smiling faces!

 Renae starring in the Beehives skit loosely based on the Rapunzel story

The tent/pavilion that saved Girls Camp --

This was the only place that could fit us all and keep us out of the rain. It was our salvation.

It was a craft cabin/eating cabin/devotional meeting place all in one

 Eric was able to come up for a few days of camp. 

He was so helpful with cooking, fire starting, tarp putting up, tent taking down

....all that camp stuff that I still haven't mastered.

This is him by some dutch oven Monkey Bread. AWESOME!

 Getting ready to hike in our ponchos. It was cold and wet. We hiked for a few miles, 

but finally decided to call it quits because the trail was so muddy and hard to maneuver.

 A fun picture of Renae leading a song at a campfire program

One of our favorite things we did was have a Spa Party. After a few days of grime and dirt (this was real roughing it camp -- no cabins, no showers, no flushing toilets, no sinks) it was fun to do manicures, pedicures, and braid hair. I had just planned for this activity to last an hour or so, but the girls kept busy and entertained for a whole afternoon playing beauty parlor. By that point in the week I had learned to keep our schedule flexible. I got a manicure,a foot massage, and a intricate braid...it was a blast!

Many of our activities were not pictured (because of the rain or because I just forgot to whip out my camera) -- some of the highlights were river rafting, a light show at the river, testimony meeting, horseback riding, all the princess devotionals, lots of good food, developing friendships, fishing, late night chats in the tent, Bishop's Night, campfire songs...the list could go on and on. So even though it is a crazy amount of work...we had a wonderful time and I am so glad I got to be there. And so fun that I got to be there for Renae's first year at camp.

Cameron Annual Campout

So this has become a favorite tradition of ours. A campout with the local Cameron Family. It usually isn't planned more than a couple weeks in advance, we don't stay long, and we don't go far, but that doesn't stop us from having a WONDERFUL time. This year was no exception.

Our campsite set up...we had 3 tents, Eric's expedition trailer, a camper, a privy, and a couple pop-up shades. It was awesome. We were in an excellent spot with no one else in sight (or within shouting distance). Perfect.

 Ready to do some good ole camp cooking -- dutch oven style!

 

 These two little guys (both age 2) were in constant motion. They had a ball together!

 Our campsite had this big grassy area for the kids to play in. It was awesome.

We celebrated the July birthdays (I think there were 4).

Bummer, I missed getting a picture of Devin with his cupcake --

it was his actual birthday while we camped.

 This is the closest thing I got to a group shot. Lame...but I'm throwing it in anyway.

They must be on uneven ground, because Mason is NOT taller than Eric, as it appears in this picture.

Eric still has him by about an inch. Probably not for long.

 

We spent an hour huckleberry picking on Saturday morning.

Our family goes every year, but I think this was a first for all the other Cameron families.

 Quality cousin time...there is nothing else like it.

A little bit of drama (with the girls) but a whole lot of love!

 

 

Now that is a camping face!!!!!