Every once in awhile you have one of those picture perfect runs.

Last Day of School

My kids have grown up so much this year! Annie is really taking off in her reading and is still the teacher's Pet. She is a great example for her other classmates, and absolutely loves school. She can't wait for first grade when she can be at school all day. Paige and I will be lost without her. 

Will has had a great year in the second grade with Mr. Neal. His confidence has grown and he even brought things for show and tell towards the end of the year. He is very talented with drawing and constantly impresses teachers and classmates with his art! Will was given an award for Academic Excellence by his teacher this year (each teacher chooses one student from their classroom for the award), and he got 100% on his end of year math test!

I wish I could accurately describe how excited I am to play with these guys all summer long!

Wilson Redd McAllister

We got to meet baby Wilson Redd McAllister today. Isn't it interesting how you can tell when a baby is going to be really smart one day? Wilson is that way. We are so happy for Laura and Tyler and their new perfect addition! He is such a lucky boy. 

PS- Now Annie keeps asking when I'm going to have a baby...

Heber Valley Memorial Run

Every year since their Val, Kathy and Quincy passed away in a tragic car accident, the Draper's put on a race in their honor. It has turned into such a great community event. The proceeds all benefit a local charity that they choose that year.

This year Will and I ran the 5k, and Paige and Annie ran Quincy's Crazy Mile. On the board at the registration desk you could write on a note who you were running for.

I think of my Aunt Kathy often while I am running. She reminds me to always always always be grateful for every breath. 

I ended up being first overall female, and Will did awesome with a time of 34:41!

Annie ran the entire way for her mile- no walking at all!- and Paige and I got to cheer her through as we were not quite half way through when Annie finished. That girl is going to run marathons with me one day. 

Paigey had fun going through the obstacles and loved cheering for others most of all. It was such a fun race!

Week 37

It was good that DaNette Monson posted this picture this week to remind us how far we have come. This was day 1. We hadn't pounded a single nail, drilled a screw, hit our heads, flew a truss, placed a shingle... Nothing. We have come a long way.  Lately it feels like all we do is work, work, work, but we still aren't any closer to moving in.  Flooring is still holding us back and it seems that our June 12 date is likely unreachable. It is disheartening.

Our focus is on landscaping so we can be ready for sod on June 5th. I took Grandna and Paigey down to a nursery in Payson to help me get an idea on flowers and trees we'd like to use. We are not gardeners, and it is safe to say that I was overwhelmed! Paigey helped me figure it out though.

I love some good visual progress, too. 

Amazing what a load of dirt can do! Dallas and I picked up our trees this week. A weeping cherry for the corner by the house and 4 spring snow crabapple trees for the park strip. 

On the inside, the electricians came and finished up and now we have lights! Plus our appliances were delivered and Dallas installed the stove, fridge, and microwave. It's a real house now!

That Grandma

Grandma Kaiserman has been cracking me up lately! Not that that is anything new, but over the last day or so she has done so many funny things. I am so lucky to be close to her and have a good relationship with her!

First is this:

She took me to Kneader's for my birthday lunch, and when we finished it was pouring rain. She was wearing a brand new pair of shoes that she just couldn't ruin! Of course she took them off to walk to the car through the parking lot. 

Next: We play a lot of Scrabble and I told her that they just added 6,500 new words to the Scrabble Dictionary. She says, "They're probably all about computers and sex!"

31

I turned 31 today. I got up before the sun, drove up Timberlakes way, and ran 13.1 miles home. I was overwhelmed with God's love for me. I was filled with gratitude for a strong heart, healthy lungs, and legs that can take me wherever I want to go. God has placed incredible people in my life that bring me joy every day. 31 years of a good good life. I am the luckiest. 

Week 36

It feels like things are stalling. The number one problem: OUR FLOORING CONTRACTOR. He has been putting us behind from day 1, and it just keeps getting worse! We have one house that has been sitting waiting for flooring for a few weeks now. We can't do anything until they get the floors done and it is so maddening!

Little things are being fine tuned. Brady Tree is rocking it with the landscaping and sprinklers are nearly finished on all houses! Electricians knocked out a few houses and our house got halfway finished.  Fixtures are hung, but they aren't hooked up to switches yet.

We had lots of friends come help us this week because we missed last Saturday for a family temple day, and because I am going on a trip at the end of this week! We got the Jensen's house nearly all repainted- which is a miracle. I took 3 volunteers and we got all of the trim painted in the entire house! Many hands make light work. 

By far the best part about this week-- we got carpet!!!

#FTCtakesSanFran

I got to escape! The house! The kids! Volunteering at school! Callings! All of it! Plus I got to do it in one of the best ways possible: a 4 day getaway with two of my best friends, Kalie Chamberlain and Erin Pulley. It was a Finer Things Club on vacation!

It is incredible the things you can do when you are not planning and caring for children. It was like our time doubled! We explored Los Gatos (where we stayed, graciously hosted by Erin's in-laws the Pulleys), rode rides on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, took the 17-mile drive around Pebble Beach, stopped by Carmel, collected shells, rode a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, ate our weight in treats from Icing On The Cake, hit up China Town, rode a Cable Car, saw Sea Lions on Pier 39, visited Ghiradelli for salted caramel hot cocoa, had the wildest taxi ride and elevator experience of all time, visited the Oakland Temple grounds, ran 5 miles through lush trails, and laughed until we cried. 

Best. Finer Things Club. Ever. 

Throwback Thursday

This is the most epic picture of my Dad and his siblings!  My cousin posted it on facebook for my Uncle Kevin's birthday.  All of them have dark hair (minus Scott's white spot)!  I don't know the year, but I know that I never remember them looking this young.  I sure love all of those people!

Scott, Kevin, Craig, Kurt, and Sue at the bottom.  I'm not sure who the baby is on Kevin's shoulders.

Week 35

Best news ever:

THEY SCHEDULED OUR OPENHOUSE! It is set for June 12. Just over one month from now our home will be officially ours!

This week was exciting. The cabinets all got finished and our countertops installed! It looks beautiful. The kitchen is so spacious. I can't wait for it to be my every day space. 

Here's an up close of the counters. They are supposed to look like Quartz. 

Things are wrapping up in the neighborhood! The 9th house got painted! We are being held up a little by flooring. Hopefully the sub will get his act together so we can keep it all rolling. Everyone is tired, on edge, and ready to be done. It is great to have a date to count down to! It helps a lot, actually. 

House 10 had some flooding issues- the plumbers added another vent in the roof without telling us.  The roof leaked since there was no roof Jack ruining some insulation and drywall. Such a bummer! Plus water keeps showing up in their cold storage. Hopefully all the little problems will be solved soon. 

Mother's Day

"Yes, she is just a mother. Which is sort of like looking at the sky and saying, "hey, it's just the sun.""

-Matt Walsh

I am lucky to be called a mother. My children are the greatest blessing in my life. Even though I may be angry or tired or impatient, I never ever forget that. 

This Mother's Day was especially great because we got to talk to and SEE our missionary by using Skype! Abby looks so good. We laughed and cried and at the end she shared her testimony about how important the gospel is to her because it means we get to be a forever family. It was the best moment of the day.

Kaiserman Family Temple Day

50 years ago on May 5, 1965, Carolyn Hurzeler and James C. Kaiserman knelt around the altar of the Salt Lake City Temple and were sealed for time and all eternity.  Jim joined the church a few years after he married Carolyn, and it took time and work for them to get to the temple.  It was the greatest gift they could have ever given their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren for many generations to come.  To celebrate, as many of us that were able met and did an endowment session in the Ogden temple.  Thanks to Dallas' mom, Kristie, we were all able to go through for family that had already passed away.  It was an amazing experience and I am so grateful that Dallas and I were able to be there.  It is always special to go to the temple, but being surrounded by so much family in the sealing room makes it even sweeter.

After the temple we met at Maddox for dinner, and even more of the family were able to come!  It is always great to be together.  It was pouring rain and we didn't get a good picture of the entire group together, which makes me sad.  I'm so grateful for this family that I got when I married Dallas.  I love them like my own.

Pinewood Derby

I LOVE the Pinewood Derby!  It is so fun for the whole family and I love all of the father and son bonding time that goes along with it.  Will drew out the design for his car, and Dallas helped cut and paint it.  We just started going to our new ward this past month, so this was our first big scouting event there and it was awesome!  They really went all out.

Will did great in the derby- his raced down the track and he ended up taking 2nd place!  Will also won the award for "The Most Electric" car- it was shaped like a lightning bolt and would storm down the track.  That handsome boy and his daddy make me swoon!

Week 34

Look what I did!!!!!

I put every single one of those bricks up and am so happy with the final outcome!

The inside of our house really got worked over this week as well!

Floors-

And cabinets!

Christian and DaNette Monson are happy workers- and fast, too! They busted out cabinets in my house and the Baker's this week!

Jonny Welling, Dallas' dad Mark, and I all grouted on Saturday. We finished at Tree's, Dexter's, and almost all of my house on Saturday. We love the look of our stone. 

This week was full of progress. There is light at the end of this tunnel!