Finally Six

We've been saying Ben is six for several months now and today it is official. Happy birthday my sunshine!!

Ben through the ages

Summertime...and the livin' is easy

Great Deal!

I'm a sucker for great deals and here's a good one from kraft I saw on another blog. Buy $25 of participating items at Albertsons and get a $5 off coupon for your next purchase there and a rebate offer for $20. I went in and stocked up on Capri Sun and Mac & Cheese. I spent $26 including tax, got a mail-in rebate form for $20 and a $5 off my next purchase at Albertsons. That's groceries for free!! Check it out here.
(offer ends 8/23/09)

Eye on the prize & missing the mark!

I continue to learn life's lessons through running. Yesterday I ran the Provo River Half Marathon. It was a cool, crisp, beautiful morning up Provo Canyon. My running friend Lisa and I stayed in Provo Friday night and got up dark and early to head up. While on the bus, thoughts start going through my mind like, "What in the world are we all doing here so early on a Saturday morning?" The funny thing is that it's been our normal time for getting up for long runs, we just start running instead of getting on a bus with a bunch of other crazy people.

So the run went pretty well. I got my own PR, 1:47:30, which I was very pleased with. I love the feeling of pushing for 12 miles, then kicking it up for the last one and really finishing hard. For me, that made it totally worth it - such a good feeling.

The problem was I couldn't really get into the race. I kind of whined to myself the whole time instead of enjoying it. For example, my friend mentioned how she liked running past the waterfall a second time. "Uh...what waterfall?" I'm so embarrassed. We ran past a waterfall? Twice? I didn't even notice?? In my attempts to run my best race, I forgot to look up at my beautiful surroundings. It really was a gorgeous trail and I'm sad that I didn't relish in the beauty of the day. So my new goal for St. George in October is to love the journey all the way to the finish line! Also a good reminder for life: find joy in the journey. I only had to wake up at 4:30 for my wake up call!

"I Like Life!"

As a parent, I can't think of many words I'd rather hear than those that just oozed out of Ben's smiling face: "I like life!" It actually caught me by surprise and I had to stop and think about what a great thing that is. A few months ago, I wrote about Ben joining the two-wheeler club. Well, he was actually just an honorary member. After doing pretty good, suddenly no one could get him back on that bike. Until last week. Ben has found himself!! Something snapped inside his little body, and he is now a stud muffin on wheels. I have been amazed at the confidence and happiness that has come from his new found freedom and ability. He zips up and down our street (stop and pray for him please), no feet at times, and loves being on his "two-wheeler." He wants to be out there all the time and loves keeping up with his big brother. I'm grateful for little triumphs that can bring such joy into a life. Way to go Ben, we're proud of you!!

Baptism Day

Our little (big!) Jacob was baptized yesterday. After a crazy morning of getting everything ready, it was a beautiful experience. Jacob told Benjamin the other day, "I'm getting baptized on Saturday. That means all my sins will be washed away. That's a pretty good deal!" It is a good deal and think Jacob has a great understanding of the gospel already. We're so proud of him and the decisions he's made in life and will continue to make. Love you Jake!

Camp Bairdahemla

For posterity's sake, I need to write about our little cousin camp today. After Jacob's baptism we did some Book of Mormon Activities with the kids. They really did a good job and I'm impressed with how much the little ones know. We talked about Moroni (Our flag), King Benjamin (they each climbed on the tower and told something that was important to them - I was very impressed with their answers: family, Jesus, going to church, etc.), Stripling warriors (tug of war), Nephi (tried to make boats that would float), and ended by a "faith walk" (aka blindfolded chaos) to skype Grandma and Grandpa Baird in France who told them about the Savior coming and being with the children. It was a very fun afternoon. Cousins are the best!! We missed you Leah and James!
I wish we got a picture of Grandpa and Grandma on Skype. It was a very sweet end to our day.