W.W.W.W = (Wow What a Wonderful Weekend)

So this last weekend was simply fabulous!

Friday a little family get together to celebrate my cousins birthday, Happy Birthday Riley!!

Saturday started off with the Race for the Cure to celebrate my beautiful cousin Tammy (she is Riley's mom). My sister and I ran the 5K, oh yeah well worth mentioning my sister just had a baby 3 months ago and yes she ran the 5K and we finished in 34 minutes taking 3 minutes off our time last year WHOOHOOO!!



My girls!



Me, Tammy, my sister and my girls



Lauryn being well Lauryn :)



Lauryn dancing to the music!



After the race home I went as my yard/jungle/farm land needed mowed and those darn yard fairies were M.I.A. again,  I swear if I find them I am going to give them a good talking to. So I spent the day mowing my two acres and enjoying the breezy yet very nice weather. I even got some help from my mom she came over and did one side of riding lawn mowing while I pushed mowed the ditches and around the places the rider doesn't fit or get. It was so nice, dinner on Saturday night was Cordon Bleu Chicken from Schwans. I should share my husband has been begging for me to buy this chicken from Schwan's for a good month he remembers it from when he was a kid and loved it so much he had to have it again. It was good but very rich tasting so just that small thing filled me up which disappointed me because i fixed Parmesan noodles with it and I love them and I couldn't finish them UGHH. And then Shane and I watched a movie so for your movie buffs I do not recommend, 127 Hours, very slow going and some pretty odd/gross parts. We didn't finish it, oh well.



Sunday morning up bright and early as I had weed eating to do and it was gorgeous out with the birds chirping and the quiet of a Sunday in the Helena Valley so nice. The girls were still in bed when I went outside and they slept in until 9 and 10 so that was odd but nice for them as they were in a great mood the rest of the from all the sleep the got. We played some catch after I was done with yard work and hung out in the sun. And to end the weekend went to a friends house and got to hang out with great friends for Little Ms Leland's birthday it was a lot of fun and laughs and great food (Thanks Christy for cooking) and just a good time to end a great weekend.



I hope everyone else had a great weekend as well and if you see my husband around tell him good job he is quitting smoking and although he has had a couple a day that is nothing compared to what he was smoking and I am so proud of him. He decided to quit all on his own and I was shocked, surprised and so happy it has been a long time coming but I know he can do it.





Round 3 - Winifred MT

Ok I will start by explaining for those that don't know yes Winifred Montana is in the middle of nowhere. Drive to Lewistown and take the truck route around town and you will come to the sign for Winifred. We acually didn't reach Winifred we turned before the town and were camping the Butcher Ranch. Beautiful is the only way to describe it, it appears as if you are going to be camping in the middle of fields with rolling hills and not much for trees then you drive back there and it is a little forest oasis.

Now on to the races...

We got there on Friday around 7pm I believe and got camp set up and bikes unloaded. The wind was blowing but oh well that seems to be par for the course at the races these days. Saturday morning we were up bright and early getting the girls geared up and breakfast in them. They raced at 10am and it is always a good time. Kaleigh ended up in 3rd and Lauryn in 4th their best finishes so far and they were so proud of themselves and of course we were beaming parents.

Kaleigh Racing!

Lauryn doing a little jump

After the girls raced there was a little lull in action but we were then on to the Bra Relay oh yes I said bra!!  The relay is teams of two each rider has to do two laps, and there relay baton is a women's bra, they have to put it on for their lap. It was great entertainment and was full out race mode.  Shane and his teammate Phil got 4th in their heat and competed in the main and I believe ended up in 5th or 6th it was hilarious. After the relay the racers for Sunday took a preview ride to check out the course and just get a feel for the terrain while they did that the girls did laps on the kids course and rode for about an hour and a half. I was exhausted just watching them and Kaleigh was practically begging to go to bed after dinner.



Shane coming in to switch the bra with Phil



Phil leaving with his newest accessory a bra



Blurry Picture but the best one showing them handing off the bra from Phil to Shane



Sunday morning was another mad dash of fun getting Shane and his bike ready for the main event. He did get off and raced his full 5 laps about 20 miles per lap. He was exhausted and finished in 10th, I was very proud of him so much fun to watch and of course help.



We ended up leaving our camping spot Sunday night as I was out of patience for the wind my face looks like I am sun burnt but I assure you it is not I am wind burnt and it hurts more than being sunburnt I think. We spent the night in Lewistown in a hotel room, ate ice cream watched tv and relaxed. It was a great weekend!!



Two Little Girls with their trophy & medal!!

 Hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend too!



What makes you a happy mom?

I read a blog this morning that asked this vey question:  "what makes you a happy mom?"

Wow that is something to ponder the answer for me is not any one thing, lots of little things make me a happy mom some of them are as simple as a smile from my kids, the calm on their face while they are sleeping, or the dirty shirt from the last weekend because I know they had a great time and some have nothing to do with my kids but affect me which affects them like getting together with friends, going for a run or to the gym, or scrapbooking.

But while pondering this question I had one of those moments that made my eyes mist up, my smile broaden, and my chest puff out just a little. :)

One of the things that makes me a happy mom is my girls being daddy's girls. Now if you don't have a daughter you can still understand this there is a very special bond between a daddy and his little girl. Well there is also along with that bond a very big sense of pride when you are watching that bond develop.

This all starts with my husband, my baby daddy. He is an AMAZING man he is selfless, caring, strong and so sure of himself.  Yes it took the man 8, yes I said 8, very long years to propose to me but it was worth every minute every second of that wait. We grew so much as a couple and are still learning about each other every day, we have become more open with each other every year and have learned to argue or disagree more productively. But Shane is really one of my best friends he listens when I am having a bad day, I only hope I listen half as well, and is there for me when I need him. But he has taught me so much too like not to be so judgemental and that although you might know someone is never going to return the favor to always help a friend out that is in need, because when you do something not expecting anything in return it is truly genuine help. 

My girls are so much like their daddy it scares me sometimes!! They are both little adrenaline junkies and trust me they don't get that from me! They are outgoing, adventurous and so very active. They have a hard time sitting still which is probably one of Shane's downfalls he is always moving he can't sit still for very long or he is feeling anxious because he is sure there is something he should be doing. But with even that downfall and a couple of others, because let's face it nobody is perfect and yes even my amazing husband has his moments and faults. My girls got the best trait from him possible and that is being confident. I know you can instill confidence in a person but I also am a believer that this is a trait that is inherited. My girls are little tomboys they love to play basketball, football, ride their peddle bikes and their dirt bikes, anything that has them outside they are pretty much willing to try it and they never doubt themselves that they can and will do it.

I love that my girls take after their daddy in this way and have such a wonderful role model he is an amazing man and I know they will find wonderful life partners if they pick someone that is even half the man their daddy is (however that won't be happening until they are thirty) right?

Every day makes me a happy mom because it really is the little things that make life so memorable and so worth living. I guess I could say my kids and husband make me a happy mom, because if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be a mom.

So I pose the question to you "What makes you a happy mom?"

A Mixing Pot of Thoughts

Mothers Day -
Figured I could start here it was a fantastic Mother's Day.  Shane and Lauryn made me breakfast in bed, Kaleigh watched TV with me in bed stating she was keeping me company!! Got to love her!! Shane got me flowers with one of my Willow Tree Angels, it is Sunshine and is beautiful I didn't even tell him I wanted it he just saw it and bought it so sweet! The girls each got me a coffee cup, Lauryn a ceramic one for at home and Kaleigh a new travel tumbler. I love them both they are perfect and they got me terrific cards and their school made projects were priceless, a paper flower with all the reasons she loves me from Lauryn and two tissue paper flowers from Kaleigh. Terrific definately the best presents ever!!
We went over to my parents house for a little while my sister, dad and I got my mom a new yard swing. She loves to sit in it in the summer with the kids and read them books and just hang out. Her yard swing got ruined by the wind and the girls loved it so a new one was perfect, she was very excited.
I hope all my fellow moms had a great day as well!!

This coming weekend
We are headed off to Winifred this weekend, oh yeah the big city of Winifred :) Just kidding but I am excited this race is Shane's favorite he loves the location and the people that put it on are all so helpful and nice. I did get to meet some of the Butcher Family that own the land this race is held on and they are very nice. The little girl came over to our camp last race with the girls she was so polite and outgoing and then I saw her later and she introduced me to her mom. Very cool. So I am excited and with the current weather forecast I am hopeful that this will be the best weather we have had thus far. The girls race on Saturday and then on Sunday Shane races. I will do my usual prayers for safe riding!! I am always nervous it is a mom thing.

Random

I got this from my page-a-day calendar:

The Freedom of Getting Older

"If beauty is only skin deep, we should have more beauty as we grow old, 'cause we sure seem to have more skin."

How rarely do we take time to look into the beautiful faces of elders. They are so much more fascinating than those faces that have been so nipped and tucked that they no longer have expression.

The kind of elder we will become is being built right now.

Round 2: Cascade Bull Run Ought Six Enduro

Wow to some cruddy weather! We left town on Friday right after the girls got out of school and got just past Dearborn and had to put it in 4 wheel drive, yikes, roads were slushy and it was snowing more like blizzarding. All I was thinking was I can't believe we are on our way to an enduro race in this stuff!! Well we made it there and Friday night was a lot windy and a little rainy and overall cold. But Saturday morning we get up and get going and the wind was still there and the cold was still there but it wasn't that bad overall. Shane raced for just under 6 hours and we got to watch a couple of the special test sections, which is always cool and the weather wasn't terrible. Some family and friends came up and we got to hang out and it was a nice day. Then later that day the girls got to race they are so cute to watch because kids race because they enjoy it and they just want to finish they are so proud of themselves for finishing and the smiles on their faces just can't be described because they are so proud of themselves. Kaleigh finished 5th and Lauryn finished 6th and this all leads up to the awards ceremony and the absolute joy I get from watching my daughters take pride in their accomplishments. Lauryn gets her medal and comes running over to tell Shane and I that she got 6th. Now this is a really big deal she went on to explain and I quote "I got 6th this race, 6th last race and my number is 6, that has to be good luck" it was the cutest moment and I loved every second of it. Kaleigh then chirps in that she got 5th and although she fell back a spot she still beat her sister. She is such a little turkey I mean really she just couldn't let that go, but it didn't seem to phase Lauryn at all she was so proud of herself and her good luck.
Shane got 10th out of 33 riders he was proud of himself too. The Cascade race is run in a different format than any other of the races there are a lot of rules and details, but he finished and overall it was a great weekend. I am glad it is done as I am exhausted but it was worth the terrible drive up there and some cold weather to watch the looks on my girls faces and the pride in their daddy's eyes.

To sum up this weekend from the riders perspective I received this page-a-day calendar quote on Sunday “Perhaps catastrophe is the natural human environment, and even though we spend a good deal of energy trying to get away from it, we are programmed for survival amid catastrophe.”
—
GERMAINE GREER, Australian feminist writer