Family Pictures

We got family pictures taken a few weeks ago. They are just too cute not to share...

Lots of Summer Fun!

We have done such fun stuff this summer and I have been very bad at posting them! So here they are in one big post!

We did swimming lessons at the aquatic center. I had to be in class with Ali. Both Max and Ali loved it and both got so comfortable in the water. It has made the summer so fun swimming with the kids.
I ran in the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back for the first time. It was SOOOOO FUN! I loved it and I am already signed up for next year. If you like to run and have never done it...do it!

We went to Bear Lake with Eric's family. We stayed in a cabin there. I completed another first that trip...I biked around the lake. My longest bike ride ever.
We had lots of fun at the lake - although Ali wouldn't touch the sand or the water and chilling at the cabin.
Max loved these little pools of water, he was very dirty by the end of the day!
After checking out of the cabin we went to Bloomington Lake. It was a beautiful drive and hike. The water was cold, but that didn't stop Eric and I from doing the rope swing!

We also went camping as a family to Bear Lake. We camped at Rondevous Beach in a tent. We stayed just one night, then spent the day at the beach. It was our fun little family vacation. The kids had a great time camping and I think that Eric and I fell asleep before Max and Ali!

We had a super fun Alder family reunion at a place called Little Bear Bottoms. There is a big water slide there. Max mostly just played in the dirt and with the hose with cousin Chase and Ali hated the slide, but Eric and I had a blast! This is the little slide I went with Ali. She got sprayed with muddy water at the end and cried and cried.

The whole fam went together (although you can't see the kids between us). Eric and I had fun, both neither Max or Ali wanted to do it again!
We also spent a weekend in Park City when Jake's family came to Utah. Once again, lots of fun! We did the Alpine Slide, swimming, shopping, ate great food, and hung out at the condo. Saturday, Eric and I went with Vic and Sharice mountain biking at the Canyons. Max was very excited to see his cousin Gavin and we were all excited to see baby Kade for the first time!
As always, we hit the fair. We splurged this year and got Max an all-you-can-ride bracelet. Ali felt so bad though, so I let her go on the cars and the merry go round. Max loved all the rides and we got our money's worth! After the rides and dinner, we went to the rodeo. Ali loved seeing the horses! Both kids had a blast.

Eric and I also competed in a triathlon this summer. It was fun to do it together, and while we didn't break any world records, we both beat our times from two years ago. It was a sprint tri - swim 500 m, bike 12.5 mi and run 5 k.

We have also hit alot of parades...I thought this was a cute one.

Max's Birthday

Max turned 4 on May 24th! I can't believe he is four years old now. We had a fun weekend to celebrate his special day. On Friday we took him birthday shopping. We have been telling him for a long time that he was getting a bike. My mom wanted to get him a nice helmet, so while we were waiting for Eric to go bike shopping we went helmet shopping at Al's. Al's was having a sidewalk sale and had all their bikes out front. As we pulled in Max got exited about the bikes, but I informed him we were getting a bike somewhere else. However, after got Max a cool helmet with red flames on it, we still had time to waste, so we took Max outside and told him he could ride those bikes around until his Dad was ready. Soon Max fell in love with a little blue Specialized bike. He was buzzing all around the parking lot and doing really well for never having rode a "big boy" bike before. Then Dad called and we headed to Walmart to buy a bike. I can't imagine that Max knew anything about the prices or quality differences of the bikes at the two places, but he "claimed" that the bikes didn't work at Walmart. He tried four different bikes, but said none of them worked and he couldn't make them go. Eric and I finally gave in after a few tears and went back to Al's and bought our 4 year old a top-of-the-line bike. I couldn't believe we were spending that kind of money on a bike, but once Eric saw Max jump right on a wheel around the parking lot we both knew it was worth it! He loves his new bike and rides it alot!!!

Saturday we went to Hoogle Zoo with cousin Chase and his family. Max was very excited to go. We saw all the animals, sang happy birthday with cupcakes, saw the bird show and rode the carousel. All the kids were so good the whole day.

Sunday we had little parties at each grandma's house with cake and ice cream and a few gifts.
Gma Karen got him a basketball cake and we did a pinata at Gma Donna's.Max is very excited to be four. He has told me a few times that he will never be 3 again and wonders when he will be 5 and how big will he be then!?! Before his birthday he told be a few things that he would or wouldn't do once he turned four, but I think he's realized that he's not that much different. He is such a cute kid and I love being his mom. He makes me laugh everyday and he is my little buddy and Ali's best friend.
Happy Birthday Max, I Love You!