Turkey Day 2014

I could start and finish my Thanksgiving post with this picture.  It captures my heart and what I'm most thankful for.  This crazy group of boys is what I get out of bed for every day.  My love for them is immeasurable and my devotion to them is never ending.  The fact that we're all healthy and thriving is also cause for much gratitude.  It is something I will never take for granted.

After I WON my race (see previous post) and cleaned myself up, we went to Jeri and Scott's for our Thanksgiving feast.  Since everyone was in town, it was the perfect opportunity to get a family pic.  Jeri is so good about taking pictures of all of us.  It's really too bad you can hardly see her in this picture.  I am grateful for every single person in this shot.  

Sibling Love

I love this picture of Rick with all his nephews and niece.  I also love Lennon and Sam holding hands.

Owen wasn't too sure about all the picture taking. 

However, throwing leaves he was totally into!

While the kids played outside for a bit, Scott and Jeri were slaving away in the kitchen.  Thanksgiving is so much work for the host and hostess.  They did such a great job.

Lennon was ready to get her grub on.

Pure handsomeness right here.

Dyson got promoted to the adult table this year but I think he would've felt better at this table.

Everyone who's three is a nerd!

Randy brought the most important food assignment.

 

We all ate way too much and enjoyed relaxing and visiting for hours after.  I was still coming off the high from my race so fatigue hadn't set in yet.  

My toothless Max loves himself some punkin pie.  It slides down quite nicely and doesn't require much chewing.

These cuties watched the ipad and played with toys all afternoon together.  Later that night, Griff, Karen, and everyone else came over to our house for a little post Thanksgiving party.  The fatigue I was speaking of hit me then.  I put on my Turkey Trot sweatshirt, my medal, and dumped a bag of chips in a bowl for everyone.  I don't think I moved from my chair the rest of the night.  It was such an fantastic day spent with some of my favorite people.

The following day, my mom hosted a Thanksgiving lunch of her own.  She just couldn't handle taking a year off.  I'm not complaining though, the food was delish and I got to see the other half of my family.

First in line! 

I know I'm biased but I seriously have the cutest nieces and nephews.  After a week of non-stop family, I'm filled with so much love and gratitude.  How lucky am I to be surrounded by such awesome people?  I have so much to be thankful for.

And the Winner Is.....ME!

I was going to lump this race in with the rest of my Thanksgiving post but I decided it needed a post all it's own.  After running on and off for nearly 20 years, running many races, and logging many miles, I finally WON my first race!  It makes me giddy just typing those words.  Sarah and I decided last minute to run a local Turkey Trot 10k.  Sarah has been very dedicated to her running this year and never entered a race.  I was so excited to be part of her first experience.  Before the race began I couldn't help but size up my competition.  What can I say, I'm a competitive gal.  I realized there was a good chance I could be a top finisher if I ran a good race.  I told Sarah to run her own race and not worry about me.  I have this horrible tendency to start a race like a chicken with it's head cut off and then die at the end.  The gun blasted and we were off!  I tried to contain my adrenaline and not use it all in the first mile.  When I saw my 1st mile time was 7:40, I knew I was on the right track.  I can maintain that.  At this point in the race I was in the lead and trying not to let it go to my head.  I loved seeing my parents strategically placed throughout the course.



For a minute, I felt like I was back in high school seeing my dad cheering me on.  After mile 4, I was still in the lead with only 4 men ahead of me.  I felt strong and unstoppable but again, tried not to get too ahead of myself.  There was a girl behind me and it was tough for me to gauge just how far she was.  I pushed through my fatigue because there was no way I was going to blow my lead at this point in the race.



The last 1/2 mile I realized I was going to win.  The pain in my lungs and the tiredness of my legs meant nothing at that point.  The finish line was in my sights.






Seeing my darling family proudly yelling and celebrating was all I needed for my final push.




I did it!! My final 10K time was officially 46:42 (7:33 min mile).  The girl I was afraid might pass me ended up 45 seconds behind me.



As I caught my breath, I waited for my little sis.  She ended up finishing 5th!



I am so proud of her!  She killed it.



Now we could bask in the after race bliss.  The endorphins were pumping and my upcoming awards ceremony was exciting me.



Rusty, Collette, and Owen woke up at crack of dawn to watch me finish. I'm so happy they were there to witness my first victory.



There you go...proof!









I realize this was a small, local, 10K race but it felt so amazing to finish so strong.  At 34 years old, I've never felt physically or mentally stronger.

I don't plan on taking this medal off for a few days.  Life is full of hard things and disappointments.  You have to celebrate the good times.



It was so fun to show my boys what their mama's made of.




And of course my love is always by my side supporting me in everything I do.



Sam was feeling a little out of sorts so Grandma Jackie was there to console him.  I was too busy beaming to take care of him.



What an adorable little cheering section Sarah had.  She has been my personal cheerleader my entire life.  It was so awesome to repay the favor and cheer her on.  I'm so impressed with her dedication.









I can't imagine this day without my incredible parents by my side.

There you have it.  My first and possibly last win ever, but I'll take it.  It was such an exciting morning and the perfect way to start my Thanksgiving.  I'll never forget this day.

Pre-Thanksgiving Fun with the Griffin's

The week prior to Thanksgiving was filled with tons of quality family togetherness.  It was so great to have Rusty, Collette, Owen, and Rick in town.  They are always so great to come to the kids games when they are here.  Max was so stoked to have this cheering section at his game.

He definitely tried his hardest for his adoring fans.  Just a few hours later, they all drove to Orem to watch Hank in action.

There is no doubt we had the most vocal cheering section at the game.  Hank had the game of his life.  It was so fun to watch.  The ref had to think twice before he called anything on #99.  His fans weren't shy if a bad call was made!  After the game, we rushed back to Lehi to get ready for Scott's surprise birthday party.

Since he was turning the big 6-0 everyone dressed in 60's attire.  I even tie-dyed these shirts myself!  That's how much I love Scott.

Jeri was looking especially groovy.

The birthday boy was so surprised and happy. 

Chocolate cake, yes please!

We all feel so lucky to have Scott in our lives.  He has always been so supportive and loving towards me and my family.  Plus he treats Jeri so well.  He deserves to be celebrated.

There was plenty of time spent at our house just hanging out with everyone.  I love having our home be the meeting place.  It makes me feel good that everyone feels so comfortable here.  Max's remaining front tooth had been dangling for weeks.  I was gently wiggling it back and forth for 20 minutes when Grandpa Griff came to the rescue.  He asked Max if he wanted it out.  Max walked up and Griff had it out in a split second!  No more baby teeth in front.  I don't even recognize him.

Jenni took all the adults and Hank on a private Ghost Bus Tour of American Fork one night.  I tried to convince Hank he would be freaked out but he wouldn't listen and insisted on going.  Well, mother knows best.  He was completely terrified.  I mean, the kid is scared to go downstairs by himself.  Poor little dude had to sit on Randy's lap with my hands over his ears for the last half of the tour.  I guess there is no future in Ghost hunting for that one!

The older kids had school on Monday so we took the little ones to the aquarium.  Sam loves that place and he got to go with his best friends.

I can't believe these babies are 3!  They are growing up so fast.  It's still nearly impossible to get a good picture of the 3 of them together though.

Unless you stick them in a photo booth.  Such a genius little photo shoot.

Yep, he's Randy's kid!  Look at that mouth.

Find me a trio of three year olds that is cuter than them.

The next day was the kids last day of school before the break.  I got to help in Max's class and witness first hand how amazing Mrs. Terry is.  As I walked into the classroom I was blown away by the delicious smell of freshly baked bread and pumpkin pie.  She creates such a warm and inviting environment.  I didn't want to leave!  Max is so lucky to have her for a teacher.

Sam had fun playing with Owen and Lennon at Jeri's house while I was with Max.  After lunch, we headed back to the school to help with the Turkey Trot.  Max was feeling very confident.  He knew it would be a toss up between him and Cohen.

Cohen ended up finishing first and Max came in 3rd!  It was so cute to watch.

Annalisa and I became friends in 1st grade and now our kids are just beginning their friendship.  The cuteness factor of this is off the charts.  I think Max ended up on the wining end of the prizes.  He walked away with a candy bar, Cohen walked away with a turkey.

Hank's race was significantly longer.  He did so well pacing himself.  I love to watch my kids run!

He ended up finishing 9th out of the entire 4th grade.  I'm so proud of my awesome little runners.

The day before Thanksgiving, we took all the kids and adults to Hang Time.  Max and Sam didn't leave the foam pit.

Sam was jumping off the highest ledge with no fear.  Dyson, Hank, and Colby were entertained by an intense dodge ball game.

The boys crashed on the way home.  I love Owen's leg in this picture.  After some soup and grilled cheese sandwiches at our house we enjoyed pie night at Granny Griffins.

She collaborated with Jenni this year to make it even more eventful.  With the help of Jenni's bus, we went on the "Mayflower" and played games at various stops in American Fork.  Cars passing by looked at us like we were nuts.  It wouldn't be a Granny Griffin party without a little craziness.  Sam wanted to take a family selfie on the bus.  Hank was sitting with the cool kids in the back and missed out.  There's never a dull moment with this crew.  I had to leave the party a little early so I could rest up for my big race the next day!  It was such a fun week leading up to Thanksgiving.