Where have all the cousins gone?

Help!

All of our cousins are leaving us!

We have 22 of them,

but only 5 of them live in Provo right now.

5 of them moved to Brazil a year ago.

7 of them are in Germany for the summer.

Sam and Toby are moving to Fiji in a few weeks

Sam, Noah, Max, Toby (and Grandpa)

But

we have 1 of them back!

Our oldest cousin, Colin,

just got back

from his mission in Korea.

Elder Colin Jube

We wanna be just like Colin

when we grow up.

He is smart, nice, funny, and

really good looking.

Sam and Toby came into town

to welcome cousin Colin back

and hear him speak at church.

We decided to take some pictures

of all of us

so we can remember them better

while they are gone.

I am done. Can I get out of here?

We love Sam and Toby.

We have really enjoyed

going to their house in Logan

and spending a few weekends

every year with them.

We will miss you!

Hopefully,

we can come visit you in Fiji.

If not,

we will see you in about 4 years!

Love,

Noah and Max

Noah's Triathlon Report

My parents are kinda crazy. They go to races every day, or almost. I get tired of going to races, because all there is to do is watch lots and lots of people go by. The only time races are fun is when I can make big messes with mud, or at least dig holes in the ground. It's different when I get to race, though. I can ride my bike really fast, and I like to run, too. I'm pretty good at swimming from the side of a pool to my Mama's arms (2 meters), but that makes me pretty tired, so I don't like doing races where I have to swim.

Mama's race was taking all day, so I was really glad when Papa said it was time to get to my race. I didn't want to do it, though, because I thought I had to swim alone. Then my Papa said he would swim it, and I could be on his back like a turtle, and that sounded like fun. So I went through the swim on his back. It's a lot easier that way! We were still slow though. Papa kept complaining that I was too heavy for him to swim fast.

Biking was fun because I rode all the way up a big hill, just like in the Tour de France. Papa didn't even have to push me on the whole hill. The downhills were kind of scary, so I went slow on them. My Papa ran right by me the whole way!

Running was really hard because I had to go up the same steep hill that I already biked. I walked some of the hill but I felt pretty good at the top. Then when I got close to the finish my Mama ran with us, but I started feeling like I had to run fast, too. Then I got kind of mad, because I was tired of running, but I did run at the end because I thought there was going to be lots of good food there.

There wasn't anything good to eat at the finish though! All they had were yucky stuff like bagels and bananas. Then Papa asked a stupid question – what did I want to eat? Of course I wanted meat! I always want to eat meat. Luckily there was meat for me at a different part of the race, and then I was totally happy. If I get to have another whole chicken leg (or two or three), I think I want to do a triathlon again!

Noah (penned by Papa)

Here's what Noah really wanted to write:

ANDY

As in Schleck, Mr. #2 in the Tour de France this year. He is just a little obsessed with Andy. But that is ok. We like Andy, too.

Freedom Fun

Hey. We have not told you yet what we were up to on the 4th of July weekend. Rather than escape the craziness here and flee into the mountains, we decided to stick around and see how much fun we could have in town. I would say that the weekend definitely exceeded our expectations.

We kicked off the long weekend Friday night by going to the Freedom Days downtown. The kids had a lot of fun

digging for treasures in the sand

(in the back of a truck)

jumping/sliding on inflatables

checking out a firetruck

and getting a tour of their awesome trailer

Don't ask me what's up with Noah's hair or clothes. Please.

We also watched an awesome animal show with humongous snakes, a little alligator, and many other reptiles. We ate decent food and enjoyed a warm summer night out.

On Saturday, we all got up bright and early. I went up to Scofield to check out the race course. The boys went to the Balloon Fest and Colonial Days.

After a nice little afternoon hike in Rock Canyon with Jen, Eric, and Rubie, we spent the evening swimming in a private pool, eating delicious ribs (my first ones ever!), sucking on popsicles while watching the sunset, and hanging out with friends. Thank you, Chris and Ammie!

We should have stayed to watch the fireworks, since we had the best view in the whole town. But we decided to go home and put the kids to bed instead. Luckily, the had no idea!

Sunday I had the pleasure to get together with my favorite high school friends and catch up on each others' lives. Then we were treated to a backyard party at Jake and Cyndi's house with lots of good food, great company, and many little friends for Noah and Max to run around with. Good times but no pictures!

Monday I celebrated my freedom by running in the Freedom Run 10k. You can go here if you want to know how it went. Then we endured (most of) the parade. In the afternoon we went to Karl's parents house for dinner, cousins, and games.

It was a fantastic weekend! We are planning on coming back for next year's festivities.

Enjoying Summer

Who needs weights?

This is a great way to strengthen your legs and have fun at the same time.

The kids love it. A little too much.

Summer is running around in a Onesie for this little guy.

Summer is playing in the water

I feel like we have hardly been to the pool this summer!

The pools don't open until 1 pm which is when Max takes his nap.

By the time we are ready to go at 3:30 it is cloudy and windy most days.

Having a snack at the Scera Pool with Eric and Rubie

"Woosh. Jump in water. Like this."

A doggy in a bathrobe

This was the first time this season that Karl came to the pool with us.

So I wanted to catch the boys water action on film.

After one little video, a lifeguard comes and tells us

that we are not allowed to use a camera.

Lame.

Here is Max jumping in and actually standing up all by himself.

He can usually do better than this though.

Last week we went to a private pool with a diving board.

It was awesome.

Until Noah and Max decided to jump off the board

into the deep end

at the same time.

Fortunately, I was pretty close and was able to scoop both of them up.

But it sure isn't easy to tread water

while holding two boys above the water.

Karl came to the rescue to save all of us from drowning.

Yep, you guessed it.

After we were all safe and sound,

Max and Noah skedaddled right back to the jumping board

and dove in again.

This time we were ready.

Happy summer!

Mountair Mile - Noah's Race Report

I had been excited for the Mountair Mile for a while. Not only because I love to do fun races but because I would get to hang out with my cousins Sam and Toby. They are really cool. This was actually my third time doing the Mountair Mile. Go here to see how it went last year. I have been to so many races by now, I know how it all works. I don't even get nervous anymore.

We got cool bags with a stop watch, a water bottle, a T-shirt, and our race number. That was awesome! Max did not like the number on his shirt and ripped it right off. He did the same with mine and the bib of some other boy. He has a lot to learn. He is not as experienced as I am with that kind of stuff.

Grandpa and Grandma came as well to cheer us on and take pictures. Thank you!

There sure were lots of kids on all kinds of vehicles around. And many strollers, too. I was ready to go - 2/3 mile biking + 1/3 mile running. Piece of cake!

Papa ran alongside me. However, I am proud to let you know that he never needed to help me. I even made it up a pretty long hill all by myself. I forgot to tell Mama that this year I wanted to do the Mighty Race like Sam and Toby. They did two loops. One biking and one running. I could have totally done that! Only the Mighties get to stand on the podium and I really wanted to get up there too.

Aunt Brenda and Uncle John rode this awesome tandem. That looks like a lot of fun.

Max was not so much into the whole thing. I know how he feels. When I was that little, I did not like racing either. He is pretty fast on his Bobby Car but it would be easier if he knew how to steer. Mama pretty much pushed him in the Chariot the whole way. He got out a few times, like to talk to the police officer and pet dogs. He told me he had lots of fun!

Here I come to the rescue!

I think I pretty much won the Mini Race. And Max was pretty much last. But that's ok. We all had a great time and loved hanging out with family.

This week I did another little race at PowerTri. It was pretty low-key and I liked it. We just ran down the road to Grant and then back to our parents. But we got a sweet shirt and a fruit snack.

After the race I asked Mama: "Was this the shortest race EVER?"

She said: "Pretty much."

Now I am getting ready for the Scofield Kids' Triathlon on July 16th. You should all come do it with me! It is going to be so fun. I can't wait...