Oh what do you do in the Winter Time?

We live near Spring Creek and my kids love to go "exploring" down there. Neighborhood boys play there and set up a few bridges over the creek. We always find signs of animals and throwing rocks in the creek is endlessly fun of course.

Ballet Lesson are a once weekly event to keep our spirits high during these cold months here.

Naomi loves her little class and Miss Debbie, her teacher.

James and I play inside while we wait because the playground outside is still covered in snow. And it's just cold.

Waiting for Naomi, playing hide and seek!

What's in your purse?

We also got new rain boots! Fun! We wore them outside to stomp in puddles and splash as much as possible before heading down to the creek to explore.

Saint George Half Marathon! Again.

Last Saturday, a week ago, I ran the Saint George Half Marathon! My good friend Kelly came down with me and we ran the whole race together. It was so great, definitely my best race yet. I took 8 minutes off my last half, the Top of Utah last August. My time was 2 hours 17 minutes, and I felt great at the end!
Kelly and I match pace really well, helps that we are the same size exactly! Running and chatting with a friend just made the miles fly by.
I've been using a good stretch to help with my I T band tightness and it's helped a lot. I didn't feel anything until about mile 11 and it wasn't painful, just getting tight. It feels good to feel good, be healthy.
I love racing, it's amazing how race-day adrenalin gets you going. The weather was perfect as well, it was probably 50's when we started and warmed up to 60's by the end. And it was sunny, I love that. The only thing I didn't love about this race was the trail was washed out from the river flooding a little while ago so we did a double loop, not ideal but fine. It was mostly paved trail running, that is so nice.
Talia watched Naomi and Kelly's baby, Ruthie while we ran, so nice of her. Kelly took off to get back home and I played the rest of the day with Talia and company, we went to lunch and I ate waaaay too much. I felt entitled. I was starving after that race. And then we saw a movie, Gulliver's Travels, very funny and cute!
Erica came down that night and we left for California and Disneyland the next day! I had a really fun weekend and great week!
So now that I have done 3 half marathons can I be a counted as a real runner? I think so.
I might have a race this spring, but for sure my next half is the Top of Utah in August. If you want to register it sells out super fast, March 1st is the day to remember.

Naomi and her cousin Trey at lunch

Me and Naomi

Kelly and Me before the race

Afterwards, we made it!

This is a link to my race photos, that I don't want to pay to purchase! But they are fun to look at!

http://orders.racephotonetwork.com/QPPlus/Images.aspx

Talia, Wes and Dylan at lunch

Next on the list, new running shoes. I'm thinking the Asics Nimbus 12. In white and PINK. Because, why not?

Disneyland!

We went to Disneyland! I took Naomi down with Erica and her two older boys, Isaac and Dawson. We met Jesse and Brooke in California with their boys Matthew and Drew, they were escaping the cold of Alaska. We went to the beach the first night there, just as the sun was setting, it was beautiful.

We then spent three days at Disneyland and California Adventure!

It was so fun and the weather was absolutely perfect. It was upper 70's the whole time, and sunny. Amazing after mid-twenties and a constant inversion here in Utah.

Naomi didn't have much interest in the princess stuff this time around, so we had a grand time riding the scariest rides she was tall enough for. She's a dare devil and I love it! She claims her favorite rides are Space Mountain and Tower of Terror. That's my girl!

Next time James will get to come for sure, he will love it too. It really is such a fun trip with kids, they just love everything about it and it's so magical. Themed roller coasters? With music the whole ride? Yes please!

The new water and lights show, World Of Color at California Adventure was amazing. Seriously fantastic, they used the water sprays as projector screens and it was probably about 25 minutes long. So cool, and we had front row seats the second night. Yes, we went twice, it was that good.

We also made it to the Aladdin musical at California Adventure, that was fantastic too! Naomi just ate it up, she was mesmerized. I love musicals, yes I know, how typical.

I don't know how soon I'll get back there, but I know that it really is The Happiest Place on Earth, most of the time!

Naomi and Matthew on Mickey's Toon Town Rollercoaster

Waiting to see It's Tough to be a Bug at the Bug's Life theater.

The World of Color show!

Riding Casey Jr. Circus Train

Meeting Mickey Mouse! 

Isaac, Matthew, Dawson, Drew and Naomi

Meeting Woody and an Army Guy!

The TEACUPS! Naomi and I LOVE this ride!

Waiting to board Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!

Yay!

Naomi and Dawson on the HUGE Mickey Ferris Wheel. Our car was a roller car, we had a wild ride!

New toys available at a store near you!

Me, Erica and Brooke! And a shot from the Tower of Terror!

Riding the Ladybug Boogie

Meeting Mary Poppins! 

She was Practically Perfect in every way.

All the boys trying to set off the dynamite in Toon Town.

Naomi writing a list of rides to go on, and riding The Matterhorn with Erica and Teacups and Autopia with me.

Waiting in line for Toy Story Mania! and Riding the Carousel.

Skiing!

I've been away from the blog for a while. But I have so many photos to post! I need to write but I just am not feeling it right now.

Naomi and I have season passes to Beaver, it's fantastic! The past few weeks have been very cold and busy so we haven't been up again, but I'm planning on getting her back up there soon. She's pretty good at it, and most importantly, she loves it!

She doesn't complain about the cold much, she wanted to stay much later than me. I bargained with her on the lift one time, "how about this time and twice more?" She countered with "how about this time and 10 times more?!?" And she was serious. I had to drag her off the mountain :)

I'm proud to have a little skier. James is dying to go too, I just don't think I can manage both of them by myself. Naomi needs help carrying her things and getting on and off the lift and just not going into the trees sometimes. 

Skiing makes the winters here pretty enjoyable. And it's beautiful up there, usually no inversion like down here in the valley.

I'm back in classes now and have to get ahead so I can play some more, I'm going on a fun little trip down to the Sunshine in a week... I'll be sure to post about that too!

And Christmas, that too.

"like a slice of pizza"

See my season pass guys?

The conveyor belt "magic carpet" is a favorite hangout.

Ski tips up!

Mmmm, give me some of your tots!