San Rafael Classic

In June Tony tackled his 3rd sprint triathlon. I admire his dedication. Alex and I decided to get in on the racing action this time around. Alex competed in the kids triathlon and I decided to give the woman's duathlon a go. (Turns out I have a very real fear of swimming in open water.)


Tony and Alex before the race.


The water was cold.


Tony getting his cycle on.


Road runner.


Alex's friend raced with her. If you have ever met a teenage girl you know they do things in pairs and groups, not alone.


They are dorks.


I think Alex only got on her bike twice before the race. Despite the lack of training she was awesome!


Alex came in 3rd in the girls division! She rocks! Tony ran with her and to keep her motivated. He told her we would buy her some 80's inspired sunglasses she had been eyeing if she didn't let another girl pass her. The bribe worked!

I finished 3rd in the women's duathlon! I will be honest, there wasn't much competition but 3rd place is 3rd place right? I do have pictures of myself however I am wearing no make up, am sweaty, and donning form fitting exercise apparel. After an internal battle vanity won. I will not be posting pictures of myself, but believe me I was there and I raced. I finished the whole thing. I have several eye witnesses that can vouch for me, promise!


The next weekend Tony participated in the MS 150. (Again... the unbelievable dedication of this man...) I don't have a pic of him cycling but I do have this pic of him attempting to be a gangster. He has an Olympic distance triathlon planned in August and September along with a relay run. Good luck keeping up with my bad ass husband. I know I can't.

Alex is 14!!!

Alex turned 14 in June. I have no idea where the time goes. I remember meeting her when she was a know-it-all 6 year old. Now she is know-it-all 14 year old... but does it with style! She is so gifted. Between her intellect an artistic abilities this girl is going to take the world by storm! Thanks for being born Alex the Andra! I can't imagine my life without you.




We had a picnic at the park to celebrate Alex's and Katrina's birthdays.


Yes, occasionally I allow pictures of myself to appear on the blog.


Alex and Grandpa Russ


Katrina and Brady. He absolutely adores her!

...all she wants to do is dance!

Alex took dance the 2nd semester in school and preformed in the end of year finale in May. Her technique has really improved and the performance was superb! She is a geek! Er... I mean she played the role of a geek. Love you Alex!

St. George

We ventured to St. George in May for Tony's 2nd sprint triathlon. It was incredibly windy so the race officials changed it to a duathlon which required Tony to run two 5ks. He had never ran that far in one day before and conquered it like a champ! Unfortunately I have no pics of the race. Brady was super cranky so we ended up chilling on the beach. I got some great pics of the kidlets but we missed cheering Tony on.





After the race it was time for some R&R





The next day we went on a mild red rock hike.


Brady was cracking me up. He insisted on walking around with his arms extended. Tony decided to join him creating a priceless photo opt.

Lake Havasu

In April Tony competed in his first sprint triathlon in Lake Havasu, AZ. We made a family road trip out of it and had a fabulous time!


Tony and the kiddos at the Hoover Dam. I'll be honest. I was disappointed. I'm not sure what I expected but I don't think it was worth going out of our way to see.


These kids make me happier than words can say:)


Tony an his brother, Tim, before the race. It was awesome that Tony was able to experience his first race with his brother. And so began Tony's new passion... being a triathlete.

Willy Wonka

I would like to thank everyone that made it out out to see Alex in her school's musical Willy Wonka. She made being an Oompa-Loompa look good. It is impossible for her not to look gorgeous. We love you Alex! You were brilliant!



On a side note, aren't my guys handsome? I'm a lucky girl:)

First Born

Big sister and baby brother July 2005.

Ok ladies let’s just see how much you remember about your first born...Just copy and re-paste...and pass on to your friends.

This is about the mischievous gremlin since I didn't give birth to the teenage punk rocker.

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Mostly.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Affirmative.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Thrilled but nervous. I had a miscarriage 6 months prior and I was terrified it would happen again. Miscarriages are absolute hell.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Absolutely not!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 21 when I conceived and 22 when I delivered.

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Dollar store pee test.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? The man that knocked me up.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Obviously! Do you know me?! Surprises aren’t my thing.

9. DUE DATE? July 9, 2005.

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Very much so. I puked daily until I was about 19 weeks along. I had to stop taking the freeway to work in the mornings because I never knew when I would need to pull over and vomit.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Apples, cold cereal, caesar salad, M&M’s, and chocolate ice cream.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? People who thought the morning sickness was in my head. Who tells a puking pregnant woman the nausea is completely mental and she has control over it?!

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? All boy. (I was right!)

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope, I just knew in my heart he was a boy from the beginning.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 32. I dreaded being weighed the last trimester

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yep, two. I was spoiled:)

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I was in the know.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? During the 21 week ultrasound he had enlarged kidneys and I had to go to several follow up appointments with a perinatologist. His kidneys were completely normal at delivery.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? American Fork.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 8 hours after my water broke. The nurse was about to send me home when the flood gates opened.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? A certifiable bad ass wannabe race car driver.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Tony Bologna. He said he wasn’t going to watch the actual birth but in the end he caved. The first thing out of his mouth was, ”He looks like an alien!!!” Had I not still been in the process of pushing a human life out of my body I would have slapped him. In his defense Brady had a major case of cone head. If you saw a picture you would understand. My brother actually asked me if surgery would need to be performed to fix the deformity. (The Mitcher has a way with words.) Luckily he had a perfectly shaped head within 48 hours.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural. Pushed for an hour.

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? The epidural was my best friend. I actually went to the hospital without any makeup on and wasn’t even tempted to try to put it on in the car. If you know me well that is saying a lot.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7lbs 5oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? July 17, 2005. 8 days late in July!!! Can you say miserable?!

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HER/HIM? Brady Russell

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 3!!! They grow up way too fast. The other day he called me “Psycho Head” but that is a story for another time.