Kris' Akron Marathon and a Little Site Seeing Too

Kris spent several months training for a marathon which he completed in Akron, Ohio on Sept. 25th. It took hours upon hours of running morning after morning to become prepared for such a feat, and we are so proud of Kris for doing it! We were also excited to get to be there as a family to see him complete this great accomplishment.
You may recall in a post from May that Kris ran the Indianapolis half marathon with a friend named Josh, who now lives in Ohio. We stayed two nights with Josh and his family-thank you for your hospitality! Josh ran the half, so they got to run a while together.The morning began bright and early (5:00am). The kids were great troopers!

After catching a glimpse of Kris at two sections of the course (caught on the camcorder), the girls participated in a kids' 1 mile run. They received a t-shirt and a medal for running.

There were also snacks for the kids and some fun activities like face painting. Ellary really liked the characters in their costumes, but when it came down to it, she kept her distance.

This is Kris after he crossed the finish line. Wow-what a work-out. I can only imagine how exhausting running 26.2 miles would be.

Kris, we are so proud of you for fulfilling your goal. Thanks for being a good example for us. Way to go, Babe!

While we were in the Akron area, we took the day before the race to tour some church historical sites in Kirtland, Ohio. First we visited the LDS Visitor's Center (it really invites the Spirit). Then we took a tour of the non-working Kirtland Temple. So these pictures are out of chronological order, but hey, they are still here...

The old saw mill.

The Newell K. Whitney Store

Random pictures with the beautiful flowers.

We also went to the John Johnson farm in Hiram, Ohio. What a neat experience and what a neat family the Johnson's must have been.

This is the spot Joseph Smith, Jn. gave his sermon from the morning after an angry mob tarred and feathered him.

Living in the Mid-West affords us the ability to see so many Church sites and we are really grateful to have had the chance to see so many of them.

MSU vs Notre Dame...Yes we saw it...Well, most of It!

It's that time of year again...College football time! Kris and I went to see MSU take on Notre Dame at the beginning of September. Yes, it was the game that was the talk of the week all over the country. Yes, Kris and I were there and we saw it...Well, almost all of it. We took home on our bikes after regulation play was over so we could get back before midnight (12:00am Sunday morning) and we missed the fake field goal attempt that resulted in a touch down. We had a great time regardless.

Here are some pics of the MSU marching band and the Notre Dame marching band. Pretty cool what they can do.

Kris took Alyson to one of the football games on their daddy/daughter date, and they road to and from the stadium on their bikes. It's one of the many perks of living just a few miles from campus. What a great experience!

Fall Bike Ride

We took a family bike ride on the Lansing River Trail a few weeks ago, just as the trees were beginning to turn all kinds of shades of reds, oranges and yellows. We took this trail on our bikes once earlier in the summer, and it was such a fun experience that we decided to do it again! The first two pictures were taken as I was riding my bike. This river trail is pretty neat because not only is it beautiful, but it takes you past some neat parts of Lansing including the Potter Park Zoo.

Two happy travelers.
Kris pulled Ellary and Keegan in the bike trailer. They are getting better at sharing tight quarters!

Kourtney riding under a bridge in downtown Lansing.

Destination: Lansing City Market

It's a fun place to explore especially during the late summer. We sipped on some apple cider and browsed all of the "farmer's market" kind of wares. Then we jumped back on our bikes and headed for home. Kourtney and me peddling toward home.

Kris and the girls climbed up on to this bridge on our bike ride back.
Ellary wanted to climb up onto the bridge as well...Isn't it horrible to be a few years younger than your sisters and not get to do the big kid things they get to do? And then isn't it just bliss to be a baby and completely oblivious that you are missing anything at all?

Here is Alyson helping Kris load up our bikes into the back of his truck. What a great helper!

All About Kourtney

Kourtney was the student of the week the second week of school. She was very excited to share a poster all about her that she created listing her favorite color (pink), food (broccoli and pizza), book (James and the Giant Peach), subject in school (math), and various other things of this sort. Kris and I watched as she told her class all about her. It was so great to see her excited to share what makes her unique.

Kourtney's second field trip of the year was to the apple orchard. I got to go with her while Kris watched the other kiddos which was a special treat especially because Koco gets excited to ride the bus and I road it with her. Here are a few picks from the trip.

This is Kourtney's 1st grade teacher.

September Birthday Buddies

Kourtney and I are September birthday buddies. Her birthday is on the 5th and mine is on the 7th. Before school started she had a friend birthday party, originally planned for outside, around the campfire, but unfortunately it rained and poured and rained some more. She still had a great time, and we are grateful to all of our friends who came to make it fun.


Kourtney's real birthday was on a Sunday, so we played games as a family, we had ice cream sundaes and Koco opened her presents. She was so excited to turn 6!

Thanks to Alyson's sweet heart, she bought this (with the help of Papa) for Kourtney when we were back in Grand Junction. Alyson is always thinking of what she can get people for their birthdays, and usually with her own money.

My birthday was on the 7th, just two days after Kourtney's birthday. It was also the first day back to school...Bitter sweet! We browsed an antique store out in Williamston, then went out for Korean food (yum-yum) and had cake at home that Kris had made for me. It was very good too. Then we opened presents. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday special!