A Little of Twin Falls

While Provo is a fun place to be for young couples, Bryce and I always find ourselves looking north to Idaho. Twin Falls is where we grew up, where we met, and where most of our family lives. It was great to finally be able to go home and visit everyone, especially all of those adorable nieces and nephews who need a little smothering.

This adorable little man has grown a ton since I've seen him last. Jaxton will be one in September and he's already rambunctious...I don't know how his mamma keeps track of him. Jax is the first child of my sister Emma and her husband Deyson, and boy do they know how to make a cute baby. Lucky for me, Jax isn't people shy and had no problem with me kissing his fat cheeks and squeezing his chubby body. I definitely haven't gotten my fill of this little guy. He better prepare for a lot of lovin from Aunt Haylee! However, he also gave me a cold so I think I'll stay away when he starts sneezing!

I also got to see my sister Alisha's kids, Tristan, Grace, and Aedon as well as my aunt Jennifer and her kids, McKenna, Ethan, Kallie, and Logan.

 We had such a great time visiting with these kiddos! Grace and Aedon look like they've grown two feet! And Aedon definitely isn't a baby anymore. Of course, all of their mustaches are coming in quite nicely.

And now, a little tribute to my cousin McKenna. McKenna will be 12 in January and she is honestly the sweetest, most helpful, amazing girl ever. McKenna doesn't mind helping her mamma out whenever she needs her and is absolutely adored by her little brother Logan. McKenna, otherwise known as "Sissy" is a wonderful big sister and has always been an angel child.

Since she's turning twelve, soon she'll be going into Young Women's and start getting callings in the church! I'm so excited to watch as she continues to grow into a beautiful and faithful young woman. Her mom is a little nervous about her going off to Girl's Camp...and eventually...dare I say it?...dating! And boy are the boys gonna be running after this girl. She's both beautiful inside and out and luckily not quite boy crazy yet. I just know that any boy who wants to take her out is first going to have to go through an army, with her dad heading it. Now THAT's a scary thought! I absolutely adore this girl and even had her as one of my bridesmaids! She's like a sister and it was great getting to see her.

The second day in Twin, we were able to go boating with Bryce's family and Mark and Heidi Wasden at Murtaugh Lake. While I only went on the tube once, I had a heck of a time watching Bryce crash into the water. However, that boy's got skills on the knee board.

I think we both needed some fun and we sure did get it. We also got massive sunburns. My shoulders and thighs are still aching from that blistering Idaho sun. Maybe next time I'll take Ann's advice and put on a little sunscreen! Despite the burns, we had a great time on the lake.

Probably the worst experience was the drive-in. Both Bryce and I had been looking forward to going to the Twin Falls drive-in, and got even more excited when we found out that the Avengers was playing. We got there late and came for the second movie. We met up with Jenny, Ken, and their family and sat down to enjoy the show. Of course, literally five minutes after we got there that wonderful Idaho wind decided to make an appearance. Not only was it blowing great amounts of dirt around in the air, it was also ice cold. So there I was, in the middle of June, having just enjoyed the 75 degree weather earlier, now wrapped up in a quilt with just my eyes poking out. It was so cold that we had to leave, as did a lot of other people. 12$ wasted :( McKenna decided that we had brought the wind in with us.

Needless to say, by the end of the weekend we were bushed and ready to go home. Bryce was so tired he basically fell asleep wherever he sat down. It was great to see the family and it was also great to get home and back to our own bed.

Saint George Triathlon 2012

I don't know what it is, but for some very strange reason my husband loves the sweat, exhaustion, and chaos that unreliably comes with triathlons. For those who don't know, triathlons are races that consist of swimming among hundreds of other frantic racers, jumping out of the water and taking off like a madman on a bike, and then finishing it off with a refreshing run. Needless to say, it is a bit intense. This has become Bryce's hobby and somehow, his whole family has gotten into it! This brings us to the Saint George Triathlon where craziness is abundant and shade is scarce. Bryce, his two brothers, his dad, and a cousin all signed up for the triathlon. Bryce signed up for the Olympic distance (.93 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) along with his brother Jay, and his dad, brother, and cousin all did the sprint distance (.47 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run), two of which did a beginners distance which was a little less than the sprint. We were invited to stay with Jay and Sofia in their condo...which was AMAZING! 
The morning of the race, all the boys got pumped up, drank down their Gatorade, and prepared for the heat. 

And trust me, it was toasty out there! Poor Sofia bravely faced the sun while pregnant so she could see her man perform. She even helped him puke up the water he had swallowed during the swim...now that's the kind of lady a man should marry! 

The best part of the whole thing was when Bryce ran out of the water, straight up to me, and gave me a huge, wet/sweaty kiss! The whole crowd awwed...he won major points for that one. This is the shot I got of him coming out of the lake. He kind of looks like a creepy water zombie but I just see sexy ;-)

The rest of the race was a success for everyone! Bryce finished with a great time and lots of cheers, his brothers, despite the fact that Jay barfed it up, made it to the finish triumphant, and Old Man Burke pushed through and crossed the finish line with screams from his devoted fans (nothing beats Ann when she is showing support!) Jay and Sofia's children were angels and we all got free Cafe Rio burritos when it was all over. Plus, all of our husbands got a little bit more attractive with that medal around their neck!

Needless to say, now they are all hooked on triathlons and I have a feeling we will be spending a lot more time out in the sun cheering our men on. 

Nobody shows the excitement better than Gabby and Tiago.Hurrah for Bryce, Burke, Jay, Kyle, and Tyler!