It's training time again! MS150, here we come!

Since Will was 4 months old, we have been spending our Springs training for the MS150 bike ride...

2007 - One of our favorite training rides is from Utah Lake to Vivian Park along the Provo Canyon Parkway.

And now, our training season has officially begun again! We took the boys out for a ride on Sunday from the airport to the marina at the Great Salt Lake. It was a perfect day for a ride and a great first ride of the season! Thirty-two miles round-trip through the airport runways (which the boys thought was totally cool because they got to watch planes take off and land as we rode), a golf course and parallel to I-80 on out past Saltaire to the marina. It was awesome!

This will be my 5th year riding and Jeff's 6th year riding in this 150 mile bike tour through the beautiful Cache Valley. In honor of this, I decided to post some pics from rides in the past. As you can see, we've come a long way!

We started with both boys in the trailer (see above)... it sucked for Jeff, but was fine for me:~) Then we moved on to both boys in bike seats hooked to our bikes... I got Will, he was lighter. Then we invested in a trail-o-bike that hooked on to Jeff's bike, while Will was still in a bike seat with me.

Finally, we bought a tandem bike so that Jeff and I could keep each other company on the ride. We share an iPod and stick together as we ride. It took some getting used to on my part because I have to put all control in Jeff's hands (speed, braking, gear changes, etc.) but overall I like it and we get along just great on it!

Last year Jeff manipulated the tandem so that Drew could ride it with him, while Will has graduated to the trail-o-bike hooked to my bike. It makes for quite a wide turn, but it's fun training with them along... then the ride is so much easier without the extra wiggly weight on back!

Our goal for this year is to complete the entire 150 miles... 75 miles per day. I'll keep you posted!

Spring Flings & Easter Things...

These are the finished products of the paper mache eggs we started at the Spring Festival at Kelly & Danny's a few weeks back. They turned out really cute and the boys loved filling them with fun springtime scenes. We used them to decorate our mantel and they look oh so cute!

Easter Sunday the boys woke up bright and early, excited as can be about the hunt they had in store for them. The Easter Bunny always sends the boys on a treasure hunt following clues leading them all over the house in search of their baskets. It was so cute to see Will's face light up after listening to Drew reading him the clues. His eye's would open wide and you could literally see the light going on in his head! Then he'd turn around and run to the spot the clue was hinting at. It was adorable! Later, Will told me his favorite part of Easter was the hunt!

Here they are with their goodies in their matching spring jammies! They each got a Lego set (of course), some Peep's & other candy, and the movie Bolt to share. Then we headed out for brunch at G & G Peterson's followed by dinner at G & G Bergstrom's... with an egg hunt at each place. The weather was perfect for egg hunts (and a trip to the park with Grandma Peterson)!

Hooray for another fun holiday! And here's to a wonderful spring!

Max's attempts at socialization...

We went to our first of 8 puppy training classes at PetSmart last Saturday and the trainer gave us a few little homework assignments to work on with Max as part of his training... One of these assignments was to provide 3 opportunities for him to socialize this week. Fortunately for us, Easter was the next day, so we took him to Grandma & Grandpa Peterson's as well as Grandma & Grandpa Bergstrom's where there were plenty of kids and adults as well as another dog for him to get all social with!
First was Carlie and being the timid dog that Carlie is, they both got along great (after an initial bit of nervousness). They ran around the yard and played tag all day long and had a great time!

Then came the introduction to Milo... he was not as happy to see Max and it took them a little bit longer to learn how to play well together. But after a little while, this was the scene all over the Bergstrom's backyard (during the egg hunt might I add)...
Seems little Max has plenty of confidence in the "socialization" department! Hope our trainer is proud of us:~)

Will's Inappropriate Phrases...

Ok, this post is not for the easily offended... I decided to make a little list of some of the inappropriate phrases that my darling little Will has spoken. We honestly don't know where he comes up with this stuff, but it takes everything I've got in me not to laugh (I wouldn't want to encourage him)! You'll see what I mean:

Things he's said when he comes in the bedroom while I'm getting dressed: "Hello boobies!" or "I like looking at ladies butts!"

As we approached the driveway after a 7 mile bike ride he said: "Mom, I want to put a bun on my penis and call it a hot dog!" I said, "Really, after this long bike ride, that's what you've got on your mind?" and he said "Yup!"

As we were watching "Rock of Love Bus" at Grandma Bergstrom's house with Josh & Danny: "Wow! That girl is HOT!" To which I replied, "Really? What makes her so hot?" To which he replied "Her BOOBS!"

Seriously! Who is this little ladies' man and what did he do with my sweet little 5 year old baby boy?!?!

Spring Break... It's all about the RED ROCKS!

We journeyed to St. George, Utah for what has thankfully become a Spring Break family tradition for us. We all love it and the boys look forward to it each year as much as their birthday's! It's a short 4 hour drive south, and a pleasant 20 degrees or more warmer, so we get to enjoy the weather and hike all over the beautiful red rocks!
Our first stop was my favorite hiking destination when I lived in Cedar City going to college... Red Cliffs! It's beautiful there and holds so many fun memories for me from my college years, as well as when Jeff and I were courting... we used to go camping there to get away from the hustle and bustle of campus/dorm life. I'm so happy to be able to share this place with my boys. They love climbing around on the red rocks and tip-toeing through the water. Even Max got in on the action!

For Drew and Will though, Red Cliffs was the icing on the cake and a great practice site for the Jedi movie that Drew was planning, rehearsing and preparing to film the following day at what we affectionately call "Red Rock Park" in St. George (I think it's actually called "Pioneer Park", but no one cares the real name... ours works just fine). Jeff and the boys all dressed up like Jedi's and I was the camera woman as we scaled the red rocks acting out scenes from Drew's movie (as soon as I edit it all together and figure out how to put the Star Wars music on it I'll post it on here). It was so much fun and we made quite a spectacle of ourselves... we started to gain an audience from fellow hikers.

Once the movie was filmed, we were free to continue our explorations of all the red rocks. We drove out the the Santa Clara River Reserve to hike up to the Anasazi Petroglyphs. We just love climbing around on the rocks and trying to figure out the stories the Anasazi's were trying to tell us. The boys always gather the hardest rocks they can find to try and create a petroglyph message of their own. It's amazing how long the writings have lasted on the mountainsides.

After the 3.5 mile hike in the 79 degree sun, we decided to rest a little, so we drove into Snow Canyon and played around for a while in the soft red sand dunes. Again, it was SOOO beautiful! And the boys had so much fun! I had a great time just sitting quietly and watching them play and listening to the games they were making up. They are such clever, smart, adorable little boys!

One thing I can't forget to mention is the HOTEL! We always stay at the Holiday Inn because they have an indoor/outdoor pool and a continental breakfast. The boys look forward to playing in the pool almost as much as hiking around the red rocks! This time, we even brought our snorkel gear to practice with in the pool. Drew amazed me with his skills (as usual). But I felt like a pervert snorkeling in a public pool... (it's not quite the same as Cancun where you get to see the pretty fishes... all I saw were butts!)

I just love Spring Break and I loved just hanging out with my boys with no schedule or places to be... I wish I could live on Spring Break!

Potty Training Woes...

I have honestly never claimed to enjoy the potty training part of parenting... With Drew, I was awful at it! And he was highly uncooperative. Together we both experienced major challenges and frustrations. Eventually he did become potty trained of course, but not without a lot of bumps and bruises along the way!

Will was a TON easier... Not necessarily for any particular reason, I just think he was ready to be like his big brother. Seriously, with the help of a "Potty Jar" filled with his favorite treats, he was potty trained in a day!

Now here I am with our new little puppy, trying with all my might to channel my inner potty trainer in order to keep this beautiful little creature from pooping on my livingroom floor! I wish I could put him in diapers! Or at least underwear! The ad we followed to find Max said that he was already potty trained... SOOO not true! And today I was at my wits end! I've read every piece of literature possible about how to potty train a puppy, as well as gathered advice from so many of my dog-owner friends. We are all on the same page as a family(we've employed a "Potty Jar" like the one we used for Will), but we are also all on pins and needles! Whenever he starts sniffing the ground we jump up and put him outside... still, I turn my head for literally 2 seconds and there's a pile of poop on my floor! AAARRGGHHH!!! Everyone keeps telling me it will get better and I really want that to be true! The sooner the better!

Meet Max!

Introducing the newest little member of the Bergstrom Family! After much begging by the boys and much research by me, Jeff and I decided to break our "NO PETS" deal that we made before we got married, and get a puppy for the boys. He's a 13 week old Cockapoo that we found on KSL.com. We drove up to Clearfield yesterday to meet him and bring him home and it has been quite a new adventure for us!

The boys were totally timid of him at first and since Max is a happy little puppy, he likes to jump up on you and nip at your fingers (Will has band-aids all over both his hands)... all of which freaked out the boys, to say the least. Overall though, Max is a quiet little guy who loves to snuggle in my lap as much as possible (he's sitting there now!). When he can't be in my lap he likes to sit by (or on) my feet, just so he can be close to me. He's so sweet!
So yesterday was his first day with us and we just couldn't wait to do all the things with a dog that people with dogs do! We took him for a walk (he was the leader), we gave him a bath (he was such a trooper!), we played fetch (he's awesome at it!), we snuggled lots (my favorite!) and at the end of the day, after reading books with the boys and snuggling before bed, he lied down in his kennel and drifted off to sleep.

Today was a little different as we tried to stick with our normal routine while including our newest family member at the same time. We had to take him to the vet, which was pretty traumatic for both the boys and Max, and we worked on potty training him. Five accidents and two "good job boy"s later... and it looks like we'll still be working on this house training for quite a while.

As he gets more used to us as his family, I think the nipping will stop (cross your fingers). We signed up for an 8 week puppy training course at PetSmart that should help us out a lot too! Only time will tell what this new adventure will bring to our family. But you can bet I'll keep you posted!

Signs of spring!

Spring in Utah comes slow but steady... just when we have a near 70 degree day, the next day we wake up to a fresh blanket of snow! Still, we've tried to celebrate the season and appreciate every quirky moment of it!

These are bird feeders we made by following an recipe from our Family Fun Magazine... Some of them turned out really cute, but when it snowed the next morning, they were destroyed... Sad... No birdies got to enjoy their heart-shaped goodies.
This is the boys with their cousins James and Jesse after they went on a snake hunt in Kelly's backyard as part of our Spring Festival that we had last Sunday. It was a combination of a belated St. Patrick's day party and a celebration of the Vernal Equinox-the official start of spring.

We paper macheed eggs, ate corned beef & cabbage for lunch and made chocolate worm/snakes for dessert. Then we started corn and bean seeds in plastic eggs and sent the kids on the snake hunt above. Along the way we read stories about St. Patrick, the sacredness of snakes, and Persephone - the Goddess who reins over spring.

Kelly and I have come to the conclusion that our boys probably don't truly appreciate the lessons we are trying to teach them and it's a sad time for us. We love putting these things together, but it seems the boys would rather play video games... What do you do? We've decided to just keep on truckin' and hopefully they'll appreciate it one day.

Another on of my favorite signs of spring is when the neighborhood kids all start to dominate the circle again! This is Will and Drew with our fun neighbors as they prepare for a Jedi battle... so cute!! Drew was in bare feet and it was a beautiful day!!! But of course, in true Utah style... the next day it snowed! LOVE IT! You've just got to love spring in Utah!

Mexican Wrestling Match

Witness the fight between Muchas Gracias and De nada... as they battle in our living room in their new masks! Funny stuff!