Polly Pork, Mothers, and Jesus

Tonight I was finally catching up on conference and Cameron was being loud and obnoxious, so I told him to sit down and watch some of the speakers. When one of them was done I asked Cam what his talk was about, and he seriously said, "Polly Pork, mothers, and Jesus." It wasn't just those three things, but the speaker mentioned all of those, so Cam was right on, he just didn't get all the details.

Life is good right now. Just trying to balance everything and keep a level head. I think I'm pretty good and keeping everything together. I get work outs in, dinner made (with veggies), kids to their soccer games, reading to the kids, prayers, and cookies made. Some days I feel like a B student kind of mom, but the days where I don't waste time and get all the stuff done, then I am total feeling the A+ thing. Matt is almost done with winter/spring semester and then he gets a week and a half off, and then starts his summer term. He is now V.P. of his pre med honor society and getting all A's. I am so proud of him, and ALL of his hard work.

Speaking of hard work, St. George just had their first Ironman, and I was so sad not to be a part of that. I want to try that race some day, but so scared of the training that is needed for something that BIG. Trying to think of what races to do this summer. There are a lot on my list, but unfortunately money is something that's needed, so I will definitely have to pick and choose. The great thing is that I can still do these distances on my own w/o a race, but there is something just so contagious and exciting about finishing a race and being part of that day!

All the kids are great right now. Soccer is almost over for Cam and Rowan and they did AMAZING this season. Trying to find something like a ski team for Rowan to join, wrestling for Cam, swimming for Parker, and Jonas is just great at being mischievous and crazy! It's sunday night, trying to get geared up for the new week, and have I mentioned that I love this crazy little family that I live with. I feel so blessed and grateful!

aRe YOu SerIoUs??

O.K. Brooke....I'm asking myself...,"Are you bloody serious?" Last June I'm apparently all talk because I said that I was gonna start writing on my blog, and here it is in March and I'm just getting to it. What the heck? Well June was so regular last year....the kids were in nature camps, YW camp for me, swimming, Parker's birthday, etc. Then July happened.....I had gone to the ER because I was puking and had this crazy pain, and then we found out it was a 12 mm kidney stone. It was too big to pass, so they had to go in and blast it into lots of pieces and put a stent in so they could eventually pass more easily. As we were in the ER Matt broke the news to me that he had received an answer to prayer on what direction we were supposed to take in life. He looked like a deer in the headlights and right then I knew that some big change was about to happen and it would involve moving. I just knew it. He then proceeded to tell me that he was supposed to be going to Med School. I about fell out of my hospital bed. I couldn't believe it. I secretly thought that I would just try to talk Matt out of this and then this "situation" would pass....just like my kidney stone...hahaha! I didn't want to believe that this was real at all. I knew that I had to pray about it as well, just to get confirmation that this was the road our family was supposed to me on. 3 days later, after much prayer, sleepless nights, and EVERY thought running through my mind, I knew this was right for us. I didn't want to face it, but I knew!

It was my 32nd birthday and on your special day you are happy, laughing, celebrating. Instead I was calling friends/family or they were calling me, and I told them of our plans, and I was crying, sobbing, and so so so sad. After all we had lived in St. George for 7 years and developed so strong friendships and bonds with people and our ward. There was my workout buddies that I ride with, our home that we brought home 3 out of 4 babies to, our widow neighbors that needed us, everything that was familiar and easy, and our best friends, the Stewarts. I couldn't imagine not seeing them 4-5 times a week like we were used to.

The month of August was definitely TRYING!!! Packing a whole 2700 sq. ft house with 4 kids was just plain wretched. Oh by the way, we were moving to a basement apartment in Highland, Ut that was only about 900 sq. ft. It's Matt's parents second home and they offered for us to live there rent free....what a blessing! Although small we are LOVING our home and feel so comfortable and blessed to live in this cute, wonderful home and neighborhood. It is just perfect for us. O.K. back to August...since we were moving to a smaller place we had to get rid of lots of stuff, take things to storage in my parent's storage units in Cedar City, and then store stuff in Matt's brother, Michael's tow yard in Provo. The funny thing is, is after packing up our huge moving truck I realized that all that stuff could disappear and I probably wouldn't blink and eye, well maybe once, but not twice :). The important things were with me and that was Matt, Parker, Cam, Rowan, and Jonas!

O.K. this next section will hopefully be quicker now. So we moved and 4 days later I competed in a Half Ironman Triathlon. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. I LOVED it and was so grateful to be able to participate in one. Matt started school at the University of Utah, and the kids started their new school at Mountainville Academy, a charter school 5 minutes up the road in Alpine. Since then we have adjusted really well and have been blessed with many miracles. The kids are loving the neighborhood and making lots of friends. Parker is in basketball and scouts, and Cam and Rowan are getting ready to start soccer for the second time.

We just got back from St. George. I did a 105 mile bike ride to Zion and back, and while we were there Matt, the kids, and I got a little homesick, but realized when we got back to Highland, we were home. We miss the "easier" life at times, but we also cannot deny the wonderful experiences that we have had here. It is because we are on the right path and we now our Heavenly Father is blessing us and watching over us constantly.

I forgot to mention Matt's schedule as well...this semester he is taking chemistry, biology, and calculus. He has 2 labs and discussions for those classes, he volunteers at the ER, he volunteers and the cancer wellness center, and he participates in research for MS. Talk about sacrifice...at least I still get to teach spin, get my workouts in, play basketball, and most importantly get to be a stay at home mom still, but Matt's life has been CRAZY. He wakes up at 5:20 every morning, and some nights doesn't get home until 8:30-10:30. He works so very hard, and gets all A's, so I am so proud.

That is what we've been up to since last June, so hopefully I will be better at this and write more often.

hugs and kisses, Brooke

That's it!

Alright...it's been too long, and thanks to my sister-in-law, Sarah, and a lesson that I taught to the YW about keeping personal records, I feel that it is time to get going again on our family blog. All I need to do now is actually post some pix and write at least once a month, and I'll feel like I'm accomplishing something. Some highlights.....summertime, swimming, cam graduates from kindergarten, triathlon season, rowan's first summer camp, family time, camping in yankee meadows, late nights, parker's basketball camp, jonas talking, morning rides, summer projects, etc.! We are loving the relaxation of summer and not having to get up and rush rush the kids off to school. Until next time....peace!

I ate a potato!!

It's been a week, but I just finished my first century ride up to Zion National Park and back...totaling 109.12 miles on my bloody bike. It was amazing, and such a great experience. No....my bootie is not sore at all, it was mainly my knees from pushing up those darn hills. I would do it again tomorrow if I could. I loved it! Parker just finished basketball and will soon get into swim team. He keeps busy with school, scouts, and playing with friends. I seriously feel like we have a third adult around the house sometime. Cameron is loving, and I mean loving kindergarten. He thinks it's the coolest thing to see his friends at school. He is reading like crazy and is getting ready to start spring soccer. Rowan I think might win an award for being the sassiest girl EVER. Secretly I love it though, because she has that spice to her that makes her stand up for herself....(like her mom). Rowan just told me recently that she wants to be a basketball player and a dancer. Very animated little thing. Jonas is walking everywhere and totally getting into everything. What a little Dennis the Menace. However all he has to do is look at me and smile, and he's got me back wrapped around his little finger. 

   We are just having fun with our season passes to Brianhead...going every Saturday and any other day that we can. Our passes end soon, so it looks like we will be going for Spring Break, and pulling the kids out 1 or 2 times so we can get some extra time in. The kids are amazing and hitting jumps, and trying to get some rails in too. I don't think the rails are on purpose yet. 

  BTW....the potato title is for the potato I ate on my bike race....nothing too exciting, but I still ate one. P.S. Matt is my lover, and I love the sexy beast that he is! He is amazing!

Hola, preevyet, bonjour, hello!

Hey there everyone just wanted to let ya'll know that we are still alive and just been slackin' at This whole Blog thing. I need to be better at posted some pictures of the family. I have my first century ride this Saturday, and so it will be to Zion National Park and back which = 100 miles. We love ya and each other, so there, peace!

Startin' out FRESH!!!

Oh the holidays were so good to us. What more could we want....food, family, friends, snowboarding, and just being all cozy together. We had a wonderful time, and now here it is, a month or something like that later and I am finally writing into our blog. I don't get why everyone is darn good at blogging, and I am one of those special cases!! 

 We are so glad that the new year is here, we have gotten back into the whirlwind of things, and it feels good to be a part of reality again. Rowan had her 4th birthday, Parker started basketball, I ran a 1/2 marathon in a 1:53, Jonas is finally taking some steps, Cameron is reading, and Matt is staying strong with his running. The Lamont's always have a lot to be grateful for. Always being blessed and staying positive. We have the privilege of boarding and skiing at Brianhead every holiday and Saturday....we are loving that family activity. O.K. I'm gonna be better at this blog stuff!!

hOLidAyS aRE foR CrAzIeS!!

We have had a blast in the past week and a half. It all started on the 17th when it snowed ALL night, which forced St. George to go into a panic and declare a snow day for the 18th. It was official...we had NO school 2 days before Christmas break. Friday the 19th we had a sweet party in Parker's 3rd grade class, and that night Matt and I headed to Samurai 21 with a huge group of friends. I was dared to eat some NASTY raw fish...mackerel. Guess what?? I ate it, and I wanted to vomit, but I did it for 2 reasons. One of course was for the $50, and the second was because every time I watch Survivor, I think to myself..."I can do that...I could eat something nasty." 

  The next day Matt, myself, and the kids headed to Zion to party on with the Stewarts and the Jensens. We had a blast and laughed, ate, sledded, and even took a run out in the snow. SOon after we were off to Cedar City to go boarding and skiing for a day and then right back to St. George to start some of our Christmas traditions. (wow this is long) On the night of the 23rd we all slept on the floor by the christmas tree....such a fun thing to do. Wed, the 24th I took a bike ride with my homies, froze my tush off and then hurried home for family christmas festivites....shopping, cooking, baking, eating, movie-watching. The kids woke up Christmas morning to CRAZINESS. We were all so excited and had a perfect Christmas morning. It totally looked like a bomb went off in our home.

  Now we are up In Cedar and Brianhead again, and having so much fun with my side of the family. We are snowboarding behind the 4-wheelers, celebrating mine and Matt's 11 anniversary, and I think I'm going for a record for how many treats I can actually eat in one holiday! Tomorrow after skiing, we head up to SLC for more fun times and a Happy New Year with the Lamont side. Party on, and peace out!!