9 months!

Samuel is 9 months old! He has changed SO much in the last month...crawling, cruising, climbing stairs, standing solo for short periods, and trying to walk. We're having so much fun watching where his curiosity takes him, but he is certainly requiring a lot of energy from his parents! He is sweet and is generous with his smiles.

Sam can now crawl forwards, but at first he could only crawl backwards and would get stuck under furniture :)

Standing solo!

Getting into (and onto) everything!

9 months old!

Lower Bell Canyon Reservoir

My mom & dad visited us in mid-March. Between spending time at the park, going for walks, and a trip to Park City, we were able to enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather we had while they were visiting. Sam had changed so much since my parents had last seen him (Christmas). He loved all the extra attention & love.

Sugarhouse Park

Park City

We spent Spring Break in Texas! Todd's parents & Allison spent 5 days with us on South Padre Island, and then Todd, Samuel, and I spent 2 nights in San Antonio. We had such a great time! South Padre Island was relaxing! We stayed in a condo right on the gulf, so we spent most of each day soaking up the sun by the ocean or pool. We discovered that we could get a signal on the baby monitor at the pool - it was nice to get some baby free relaxation time! It was fun to vacation with Todd's family (we missed Grant, though!). The last few days of Spring Break were spent in San Antonio. What a great city! We enjoyed exploring the missions and walking along the famous river walk. We ate lots of great food and stayed in the cutest bungalow in a neighborhood just south of downtown.

San Antonio River Walk

The Alamo

We are so thankful for the help with Samuel that we receive from the Olympus XC/Track family. Samuel is taken care of by a couple team parents once or twice a week during practice so that we can focus solely on coaching. We also were able to get out for a couple dates recently. We went to a Jazz Game in March and to the Wiseguys Comedy Club last weekend.

Todd only has 6 more weeks of school until summer break! He is currently in his second to last class for his master's degree. He's not enjoying this class (legal aspects of sport), but overall he has considered the classes really valuable.

We hope you all have a great Easter weekend!

Spring Update

Todd has Samuel at the Utah High School Basketball State Championship game this afternoon, which Olympus is playing in. So I have an afternoon to get caught up on life and possibly relax a bit, too! I'm thankful for a husband who loves to spend time with his little boy.

Since Christmas, we've had a bit of a reprieve from traveling. We spent a weekend out of town for a track meet in Idaho and another weekend in Southern Utah, but other than that we've been home...and it's been nice! Sam sleeps MUCH better at home; and while that will never keep us from traveling, we sure like getting sleep!

Sam is a busy little guy! He is rolling, crawling/creeping backwards, and starting to pull up on furniture or anything else he can hold onto. He is pretty easy going, and full of laughs and smiles! He got two teeth in late January, both on the bottom. Life is good with Sam!

Trying new foods all the time! Loves avocado, apples, pears, mangoes, and peanut butter. He even likes kale and broccoli...although I wouldn't say they are favorites!

Sam's first basketball game!

Showing off those teeth

Sam got the flu in February, and got this terrible rash with it. Poor baby! 

In early February, Todd's parents came out to Utah for a weekend visit! We had a nice, relaxing weekend. Todd and I went cross country skiing for an afternoon while Samuel hung out with Papa and Nonnie! 

The weekend after Jeff and Bonnie's visit, we were in Pocatello, Idaho for the Simplot Games track meet. We set a new school record and had the largest group of athletes qualify for finals in school history. That meet closed out the indoor season. Our first outdoor meet in next week already!

Last weekend, we drove down to Kanab, Utah for a weekend of hiking. Brian, Jessie, and Lucy Strike joined us there. We were hoping for slightly warmer weather, but had a really great time anyways. The babies did well while hiking and traveling! 

Best buds

The Strikes

March will be a fun month! My parents are visiting for a long weekend in two weeks and then we are headed to Texas for Todd's Spring Break at the end of the month! Hoping y'all are enjoying a sunny day like we're having here!

Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017

Happy New Year! Looking back on 2016, I am reminded that we have a lot to be thankful for! A healthy pregnancy, a relaxing babymoon in Hawaii, the arrival of our beautiful baby boy, a fun and successful cross country season, family and friends who have loved and supported us in our new role as parents, and the opportunity to see family the most this year since moving to Utah (we probably have Samuel to thank for that!). We are looking forward to what 2017 brings.

After our state meet, we extended our season with a few post-season meets. In mid-November, we traveled on a charter bus down to Casa Grande, AZ for the Nike Southwest Regional meet. This meet brings teams from Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, & Nevada to compete for a chance to qualify for the Nike Nationals. Our boys team ran really well and finished 5th. The top 3 teams ended up going to Nationals. Samuel did great on the LONG bus ride!

Bernard Lagat & Todd

Olympus Cross Country's smallest fan

5th place

We celebrated "Thanksmas" with family in Minnesota--Thanksgiving on Thursday, Christmas on Friday! Grant & Allison were there from Chicago and both of Todd's grandmas joined us from Iowa. Lots of great family time, delicious food, and even a trip to a tree farm to cut down a tree!

We found a keeper!

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we traveled to southern California for the Footlocker West Regional Cross Country meet (the final meet of the season!). We enjoyed nice weather, a beach day, and some great performances on a really tough course.

Huntington Beach

Todd, Samuel, and I spent a night in Park City the week before Christmas. It was a nice, relaxing getaway. Park City in the winter is really beautiful! Thanks, Jeff & Bonnie, for giving us your extra Marriott points :)

Breakfast at a tea house/book shop

We celebrated Christmas as a family of three before traveling to Michigan. We visited a live nativity, saw the lights at Temple Square, opened gifts, and went snowshoeing. Although Samuel won't remember anything from his first Christmas, we sure had fun celebrating with him!

Samuel loved pulling on the ribbons

Lights at Temple Square

 

Snowshoeing in Millcreek Canyon

We spent Christmas in Michigan with my family. I loved being "home" for the holidays. It was fun to see the little cousins together. Samuel loved watching Lily! We spent Christmas day with Uncle Bruce & Grandma, always good to see them! We saw high school & college friends, went for a couple hikes, and played lots of games. 

Christmas morning

Lake Michigan