Caleb's Kindergarten Graduation

 Caleb had a special kindergarten graduation program on the last day of school. It was so fun to see all the songs and skits the kids had prepared. I can't believe Caleb has already finished his first year of school. He's already running around telling everyone he's a first grader. He's such a cute, fun boy. He is really going to miss his awesome teacher Mrs Brown. She has been so great with him and really appreciates his creative, outgoing personality.

 It was pretty cute watching the kids walk up to get their caps and 'diplomas'. When Emily saw Caleb she yelled out, "There's Caleb!" It gave everyone a good chuckle.
(I love how Matthew is totally enthralled with the baby in this picture- he absolutely loves babies)

 Caleb and his friend Max. These two are pretty hilarious together. Max is the youngest of three boys in his family and their personalities are so similar. It's a good thing we live just down the street from each other so they can play a lot this summer.

Last Week of Preschool

 Matthew had his last week of preschool in May also. He wasn't too happy about the idea, but I think he'll get used to summer vacation really quick. He's had such a great experience and such wonderful teachers. Lucky for him (and happily for me) he doesn't turn 5 until October, so he won't be starting kindergarten for another year and he will have the very same preschool teachers again next year. We love Miss Terra & Miss Linda.

During the last week, the class took a field trip to a nearby park. The kids had fun playing on the playground together. I love this picture of Matthew- totally being shy between two girls. He's really made some cute little friends that we will miss.

 Happy Summer Vacation!

Happy Mother's Day

 It was an absolutely wonderful Mother's Day this year, thanks to my sweet husband and kids. They kept up tradition with a delicious crepe breakfast and the boys presented me with all sorts of adorable books, pictures, and letters they had made. They were so excited they could hardly stand it. I adore the pictures they draw, the stories and letters they write, they are so precious to me. I am so grateful for a wonderful husband who treats me so well and teaches our children to do the same through his example. I feel so incredibly grateful.
 The kids sang a couple of Mother's Day songs in sacrament meeting. I was a little sad that I didn't get to see them because I was the one playing the piano, but at least I was able to listen. They sounded so great.

We snapped a couple quick pictures after church. Emily was a total crack-up. I love these pictures of her, and especially the ones with Jeff. Her little cheesy grin totally shows off her personality- sweet and cute but very spunky!

I am so grateful for the wonderful mothers in my life. Mother, mother-in-law, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, sister-in-laws, cousins, neighbors, friends, etc. I'm so grateful for their incredible examples and the part they play in my life, as well as so many other amazing, incredible women that inspire, uplift, encourage and support. I appreciate the examples they set that motivate me to want to continually improve myself in all areas. I know that I fall short and know that I am not perfect. I am also grateful for wonderful women, friends and family, who love me regardless.
I was talking to my neighbor and friend a few days ago about motherhood. I definitely think it is one of the most challenging, frustrating, difficult endeavors we will ever undertake; and yet I can't think of many things that are more important, satisfying, or eternally rewarding. Sometimes it's hard to figure out each individual child- their wants and needs, and just how they tick. But one thing I do know is that they are worth it, and I am so grateful for my children and the chance to be their mother.
My cousin had this quote on her blog from a talk given by Elder Ballard entitled "Daughters of God." I thought it was beautiful and just had to copy it. (Thanks Kendra)

"I surely know that there is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood."

"What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."

"Pray, study, and teach the gospel. Pray deeply about your children and about your role as a mother. Parents can offer a unique and wonderful kind of prayer because they are praying to the Eternal Parent of us all. There is great power in a prayer that essentially says, 'We are steward-parents over Thy children, Father; please help us to raise them as Thou wouldst want them raised.'"

Brookings Half Marathon

On the second weekend in May, we took a trip to Brookings, South Dakota for another half marathon. It was fun driving through the town. Brookings is pretty small so all around town the stores and hotels had 'welcome runners' on all of their signs. This race has been going on for a number of years now and it's a pretty big deal to the city!
We made it to Brookings late Friday afternoon where we picked up my race packet, a couple items from the grocery store, and then had a fun night of swimming at the hotel. The kids have really enjoyed these trips and I have a feeling it's mostly because of fun pools and the big continental breakfasts! I really loved the happy, brightly colored curtains, carpet, bedspreads and paintings.

I love Emily's 'muscles' in this picture!

 This pool didn't have all the slides and toys like others we've been to, but the boys had a blast playing tag with Jeff and we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

 The race started at 7am on Saturday morning, so I was up early to get ready and eat. It's always fun to get ready in the dark and try not to wake anyone up. Luckily we stayed in the hotel with a shuttle service to the race starting line so I didn't even have to wake Jeff that morning.
I was out the door at 6:10, and waited out front with a big group of people for about 25 minutes. I got talking to a guy named Dave who was running the full marathon. We were swapping race experiences and stories for a while and finally ended up catching a ride over to the starting line with a couple other people because the shuttle service was taking forever.
I had just enough time to drop my bag at the drop-off location and take one trip through the porto line before they called everyone to line up. I actually prefer it that way though, I don't necessarily love sitting around forever waiting for the race to start.

Waiting for Mom

 It ended up being a perfect day for a race. The weather started out at 39 and warmed up to about 60 at the end. I started with gloves and arm warmers, but tossed the gloves about 5 miles in. The compression socks were great too, even if they do look a little nerdy.
The course was a little loopy and had tons of turns, but it was actually a pretty course. We ran through lots of tree-lined neighborhoods and parks and around the SDSU campus. There were a few small hills, but nothing major. I took my headphones with me but didn't turn them on until about mile 6.5, turned them off again after a half mile, and didn't use them again until about mile 10. The half marathon only allows 400 people, so it was a fairly small race but we also ran with the marathoners and marathon relay people until we split off at mile 11.
The first few miles went by really quickly. I met up with a cute girl around mile 4 and we ended up running together until about mile 9. It's nice when you find someone to visit with with during a run, it really makes those miles go by fast. I was really pleased with the planning and organization of the race. My only complaint was that I took a GU (a real GU, not some watery powerade gel) at mile 10 and there wasn't a water station from mile 8-11 so I had to chug that baby down without water. But overall, I was really pleased with the race and would totally do it again!

 During the week leading up to the Brookings half marathon, I had a crazy, last-minute idea to just sign up for the Fargo Marathon that would be the following Saturday. Knowing that I would be running a marathon the next Saturday, I decided to run Brookings strong but comfortable and not kill myself. I didn't want to be sore. I ended up running an 8:02 pace and finished in 1:45:14. (My 'official' time ended up being a 1:45:40 because I ran almost 13.2 miles) But I was pleased because I knew I ran it faster than the Yankton half marathon and I felt great. When I finished and Jeff and the kids came over, I felt a little dumb because I really wasn't even winded. I mean, it was still hard and I definitely had some moments during the race where I was feeling tired, but I was kind of wishing I would have just picked it up a bit to finish in the 1:44 range. Ah well, it was still a good race.
There were enough fast people that I didn't think I had placed. I found out later that I had actually placed 2nd in my age division, and because the girl who was 1st had placed 3rd overall, I would have been awarded the prize for being 1st in my age division. But I didn't find out until after we got home and they don't mail the prizes, bummer.

 My favorite part is seeing my cute kids at the finish line. I love hearing them cheer, "Go Mom!" I'm excited for the day when we can do this together. I'm especially grateful for such a supportive, awesome husband.  I love that we can take a little weekend trip as a family and have such a great time together.

 After the race, we let the kids play for a while at the park. They had some really fun old toys that you don't see very often nowadays. I think the favorite was the merry-go-round with animal seats. I can't even remember the last time I've seen one of those. I guess they fall into the 'dangerous' category now, but these cute little towns keep them around.

It was nice that the race had an early start. I was done before 9am and we were able to head home early and get some things done. It was a fun weekend trip.

Mommy's Little Sidekick

 There are a few hours each week when all three boys are in school and Emily and I have a few hours to get things done. Most of the time Emily takes her nap while I'll do laundry or other chores, but once in a while we'll skip the nap and run errands. Emily is still two and not always perfect-we've had our share of public tantrums, but most of the time she's as good as can be. She loves to say hi to everyone and she's quite the little charmer. She loves to run errands with me, and I love having my cute little sidekick.

Man Vs. Can

One Saturday in April, Jeff had a little face-off with a can lid and needless to say, the can lid won. I always, always, always put the lid in the can before I put them in the trash, but I was just getting ready to take the trash out, so I tucked the lid safely right on the side of the trash. Something happened right at that moment that caught my attention, so I walked away, leaving the trash can pulled out. Jeff noticed the trash can out and decided to just take it out. Of course, he had to push it down first and did it with a lot of force. I knew it was pretty serious when I heard him cry out.
He ended up with a pretty serious cut across his right wrist, and knew he would need stitches. I called our friend Ken Bassett who is an ER doctor, but they were out of town. So of course Jeff, being a doctor with all the supplies, and knowing how long it would take in the ER, decided to just suture his own wrist with me as his assistant.
Although I asked Jeff to just let me do it, he insisted on doing almost everything himself, with me helping with various parts. I was pretty impressed, it takes a real man to inject himself with lidocaine and then put in multiple sutures. He obviously couldn't tie the sutures, so I used his surgical tools and tied the surgical knots, then helped him use super glue to finish pulling the skin back together.
When Jeff was cut, he obviously knew he hadn't hit the artery, but he was a little concerned about one of the tendons in his wrist that he might have nicked it with the can lid. Everything seemed fine until a couple days later when he picked up something heavy and heard a pop. An MRI confirmed that a tendon had indeed broken completely through, and he would need surgery to repair it.
When Jeff met with the surgeon, we learned just how fortunate he had been. If his cut had been a few more millimeters he would have cut not only his artery, but the main nerve that supplies the feeling for his fingers. There is also a nerve for the palm of your hand that runs through the very same casing as the broken tendon that somehow avoided being severed. We were extremely grateful.
Jeff had surgery on a Monday-ironically in the very same surgical suite where he performs his surgeries. I told him it's a good thing he's always been nice to the surgical nurses. It was kind of funny to see multiple nurses say, "Dr Stevens! What are you doing here?!" I think Jeff definitely prefers to be on the other side of the knife.
My friend Shelly took the two youngest kids, and I was able to go be with Jeff. He had a blessing beforehand, and the surgeon seemed pleased with how the surgery went.  He was in a full cast/brace for 5 days, then they replaced it with a more free-moving, removable brace that he will wear for about 12 weeks. He's been really lucky that the whole ordeal hasn't been too painful, and he's been able to work and have almost full range of motion with his hand and fingers. He just can't flex his wrist, and he has to be careful not to lift heavy things. He's postponed his surgeries for a few weeks, but it won't be too long before he's even back to those. Through the whole ordeal, we've been very grateful that it wasn't more serious and that he's expected to make a full recovery. Everyone jokes with me now though that Jeff's taking-out-the-trash days are over!

Matthew's Spring Program

 Matthew's preschool class had their end of the year/spring program this month. It's always so fun for the kids but especially the parents. Matthew has been walking around our home singing, "my God is an awesome God..." for the past month, so I was really excited to see the song in action. You get some fun songs when your kids go to a Baptist preschool.

 This year has been such a great experience for Matthew. He's really grown and improved so much in so many ways. Miss Terra has been such a great teacher for him. Most of his friends will be starting kindergarten next year, but Matthew doesn't turn five until October, so he will have one more year of preschool before then. I'm actually really happy about that, and excited that he will get to have Miss Terra again next year.

Gold & Green Ball

On the very same day as the River Rat half marathon, our ward put on a Gold & Green Ball for the adults. It was a fun night with a live band, lots of dancing, food and fun. Dave & Rachael, and Ewan & Kristie were some of the main planners and they did a fabulous job with the organization, decorations, food, etc. It's been a long time since we've been to a dance, and it was so fun to get dressed up and spend the night with friends.

Dave and Rachael

 Kristie and Ewan

 Ken & Shelly

 Ang & Jeff

 Val and John

 Nicole, Heidi, Rachael, Val, Ang, Kristie

River Rat Half Marathon

On Friday, April 27th, we loaded up the kids and took a road trip to Yankton, South Dakota. A few days earlier, I had found a half marathon and decided to run it last minute. Our kids are so great, they love road trips, especially when we get to stay in a hotel that has a pool. I think that's the highlight of the trip for them, but I remember being the same way as a child. When we finally made it to Yankton, we stopped to get a few things and pick up my race packet, then it was time for some fun! Can you tell Emily was excited?

 Emily loved this little slide and spent a ton of time going up and down all by herself. The pool had a great set up with a big pool, a small kiddie pool, and a hot tub. We lucked out and pretty much had the place to ourselves most of the time.

 The boys loved the big slide. Emily decided she wanted to go on it as well. Jacob helped her up and she went down all by herself. I wasn't sure if she like it because it was pretty steep and fast, but that girl loved it and went on it over and over.

 We had so much fun swimming and stayed until about 9:30pm. I don't ever seem to get to bed as early as I should on race nights, it was about 11:30 by the time I finally got in bed, but I love watching the kids have so much fun.

 The next morning I was up early for the race. It was definitely a cold morning, 38 at the start and only 40 by the time I finished. Luckily it wasn't raining, but there was a wind gusting up to 15 mph that  that made it pretty chilly. I kept my long-sleeved shirt and gloves on through most of the race.
The River Rat half marathon was a beautiful race along the Missouri River. We started out on a paved path following the river, then made our way through part of town, and along a path that followed some beautiful farmland and the highway. The turnaround spot was right near the docking area for the Missiouri River, so we were able to see some really cool boats.
It was a smaller race with only about 120 half marathoners, which I generally like. I don't need huge groups and sometimes prefer the small race atmosphere. It was an out-and-back course which I also really like. For some reason, knowing exactly where I am makes the course seem shorter to me. It was fairly flat with some rolling hills, and one big hill- about 200 feet. We were able to run down the hill at mile 2.5, but we also had to run back up around mile 10.
I decided to go out conservatively, keeping my pace at or below an 8:15 and then see where I was at at the halfway point. I was a nice, enjoyable run and I really liked all the local spectators and family members with their cow bells. I was feeling great at the halfway point and picked up my pace.
There is a long stretch of road leading up to the hill on the way back. For about 4 miles, you just stare at it and know that it's coming. When I finally got to the base of the hill I decided to just get it over with as fast as I could, so I picked up my pace even more. I was feeling great and kept my last three miles in the 7's. As I mentioned before, because it was an out-and-back course, I knew exactly where to go and how far I had to the finish. (Does anyone else feel like those last couple miles in a race just drag on when you don't know where you're going?) I actually think this was the best race finish I've had. I felt great and finished the last half mile at a 6:30 pace. I felt pretty tired at the end but so excited with my PR finish time of 1:45:41. (8:04 pace) My goal was to be under a 1:50, so I was thrilled with the 1:45. It put me as the 14th overall finisher and the 7th woman.
(I was technically supposed to run a 20miler that day, for marathon training. But since I found the race last minute, I decided to just add the miles later. So after we got home, I ran another 7 to make it an even 20)

 I don't know who was more excited to see the other, me or Emily. She was so cute cheering me on at the finish and wanted to wear the little medal around.
It was cold enough that I was glad I had brought the kids' full coats. We stayed just long enough for me to grab some post-race food and get some pictures, then we took off.

 Emily's face is a total crack-up. She wanted to be on the slide, not in a picture.

 I'm especially grateful for this awesome guy and his willingness to put up with the craziness. My sister-in-law Nettie made a comment on this photo about how handsome Jeff is, and I have to agree. He's one good-looking, sweet, awesome, wonderful guy and I'm sure lucky he's mine!