The Color Run!

My friend Rochelle found out about this fun 5K called the "Color Run". The throw colored powder on you through out the race and by the end you're covered in color! There were 6,000 people, so it was a little crazy, but super fun! The weather was PERFECT! They profits went to 3 Square, which provides meals for needy children here in Las Vegas. It was a great cause to run for, I sure am thankful to have good food to feed my children everyday.



We got a group discount as a team... meet the "Mamacitas!" :) Look how nice and white we look! They let people start to run in groups of 1,000. So even though it started at 9:00 we didn't start til about 9:15. Once we got away from the crowds it was such a nice, beautiful run!



Entering color zone #2!


Jess and I exiting color zone #4


Just past the finish line!


Liz, Becca, Alicia, Jess, Michelle and Rochelle. I had such a blast with all these fun ladies!!


Ryan is amazing and decided to brave taking all three kids downtown by himself at 8:45 in the morning! He was the only husband that came, and that brought the kids and I was so glad he did! The kids had fun seeing all the action, and little Marlee couldn't stop staring at me :)


Every 5ish minutes they would count down and you could throw these color packets they gave you, this is about 10 second after one of the countdowns.


My two cuties! They ventured into the "color zone" with me and got a little color on them. Brin loved it and wanted to get covered, but Casen was a little scared by the craziness and started running away... fortunately I caught him and he didn't get lost in the crowd.



A shot with the same Vegas sign behind us as the first shot, just with a little color! Brinley decided to join us girls and even got to ride home with us. Maybe next year she can run it!

Marlee's 1st Birthday!!

That's right, my angel is 1! I can hardly believe a year has passed us by, where has the time gone!? I think the baby stage passes more quickly with each baby I have, breaks my heart. Seriously.


Just a few days old, I love how chubby she was. 8 lbs, 8 oz of pure sweetness!


I love this picture cause this was a classic Marlee look, just a tiny little smile :)


Now 1 year later that smile has grown!


And grown :) This is a classic nelson-baby face!






There's her little grin again, this is so Marlee.


These 2 pictures totally remind me of Brinley, grabbing her shirt and everything!



I recently looked at a picture of my Mom making "Swedish Torta". I have never made one, but it sounded so good! It was one of her classic cakes growing up. She served a mission in Sweden for the LDS church and learned to make this cake. It was fun to make and ofcourse Brinley helped me get a picture of me making the cake just like my Mom :)


Marlee was pretty excited :)


She was a little hesitant at first but loved it!






Layers of yumminess


This is another classic look for Marlee, I swear it's not because she doesn't like the cake :) She downed her huge slice!

This is probably all Marlee really wanted for her birthday, she loved playing with Dad!


I laughed out loud when I saw this picture, her look is priceless. Ryan and I had fun trying to think of what was going through her mind:

"What the heck is going on here!?"

"Casen get away, these are my presents!"

and then we realize she is probably thinking...

"What is that nasty stuff going up my back!?" - that's right, after not smiling for most of her opening-presents pictures, I carry her upstairs to find poop all up her back. I think this may have been the cause for this and numerous other non-smiling pictures!


She loved getting to open the presents all by herself and would flip out everytime Casen or Brinley tried to help. It took a little while to get them open but she did good :)


She got a couple cute outfits from Grandma Q and Aunt Bubbles. She got a card and money from Grandma and Grandpa Judy, she will probably spend it all on more wrapping paper :) She also got a book from Grandma Q. We gave her a light-up, singing book, a DVD which she wouldn't let go of, and a swimsuit.... was have enough toys in our house! :)


Excited for her movie!



At her 12 month appointment we found out she is 19.5 lbs and 28 inches long. The doctor said babies should be triple their birth weight by their 1st birthday, which would mean she should weigh 25.5 lbs! Crazy that she is so far below! She still looks chubby to me even though she is only in the 25% for weight. Don't worry, her head is still off the charts :)

- Marlee loves music and dances every time she hears it!
- She loves to follow her big sister and brother around.
- She loves to push cars around just like Casen, and play with doll houses just like Brinley.
- She LOVES to play chase and crawls as fast as she can!
- She has 8 teeth in the front and 2 molars on the bottom.
- Her favorite foods are bananas, strawberries, and blueberries... or anything YOU are eating.
- She loves climbing up the stairs and slowly comes back down on her belly.
- She loves to be tickled and has the cutest laugh.
- She loves when we sing.
- She hates having her diaper changed and her food stolen.
- She will give the most heartbreaking cry if you "leave her out". She thinks she is big now and wants to be included in all out activities.
- She would live outside if she could.
- Her new favorite game is to try and walk from Ryan to me, and back again. She practically runs and laughs the whole way. Still working on getting her to take walking more seriously! Crawling is good for now :)
- She loves "peek-a-boo" games
- She loves to take baths and play with her siblings.
- She loves to empty anything... book shelves, cupboards, garbages, toy boxes, etc.
- She always pulls off her socks and takes out her bows.
- She makes me smile everyday and I couldn't live with out her!

Perfect trip to Zions!

Ryan had been wanting to go to a "cabin", which is expensive to do with just our little family, so when I saw a deal on Groupon for a "lodge" in Zions I thought it would be perfect! And, well, it was.


We headed up to St. George Sunday afternoon and went to stay with Kara and Clay at his parents house. It was Clay's birthday and our 4th year in a row to celebrate with him! They moved to Utah last June and we hadn't seen them since, so it was so fun to get to spend some time together! We got there just in time for birthday cake and then had a great time chatting after all 6 kiddos were in bed!
Casen wouldn't have been more excited to go on a ride, even in the freezing cold! Thanks to Clay for being a good sport and taking them!


Crazy that all these little kids belong to Kara and I! We met when Casen and Nixon were about 6 weeks old, it is crazy that they are 3 1/2 yrs old now. And crazy that even though I had 2 kids first, Kara quickly out numbered me with 3 kids when she had her adorable twins! We are even again... for now :) Emry and Raleigh were both sick, so sad to have sick babies!


We said goodbye to the Noyes Monday morning and headed to Kneaders for breakfast. They have the most amazing unlimited french toast. After waiting in line for 20 minutes we found out they were sold out! We ordered other food anyway, but didn't get it for an HOUR! It was crazy busy and we wouldn't have gone there had we known... but after more than 7 years I was really hoping for that french toast :) We swung by Coral Springs for one "last time". Ryan's Dad begun this luxury condominium project before he passed away and since his passing Ryan has been very involved in it. We spent a lot of time here during 2009 and 2010. The project has finally been sold and we a grateful to move on. Although in some ways we will miss it :) Then we headed up to Zions!


I was nervous about it being cold, but it was just beautiful! Marlee has struggled in the hiking backpack the last couple times we have taken her, but this time she did great!


Despite having to cross lots of stretches of ice, we made it to this little waterfall. The rocks and pond down below were frozen and beautiful, but I couldn't get a good pic!


Brin and Casen "slipping" on the ice :)


They had fun jumping over any dips in the trail. The surrounding area was so pretty, loved seeing the snowy mountians.


This little gal was such a good sport and the perfect hiking buddy, even though she kept eating my hair!


At the end of the hike we ran into my friend Kelly... actually nearly ran into her and her friends with our crazy kids :) She is a friend from AZ that I have known for over 15 years, but haven't seen in at least 5 years. It was fun to catch up a little, she's so sweet. Wish I could of grabbed a pic!


After our hike we had a little picnic lunch. The kids loved just being outside, and so did I!


After lunch we headed to the lodge to put Marlee down for a nap. The lodge was just perfect, even better than expected! It had the most beautiful views and backed up to a little river. The kids had fun on the tree stumps and playing in the sand.


We made "race tracks" in the sand and then had fun racing around them.


Then this little angel woke up. This is her "what are you guys doing?" face.


We decided to make a fire, which was perfect right outside the lodge! We had hot cocoa and marshmallows to keep us warm. Yum!


I kept laughing at Marlee, she couldn't get enough! She especially loved the marshmallows! :)


After our campfire we headed to dinner and "Pizza & Noodle Co." Marlee loved the garlic bread pizza and Ryan decided to get give her a piece. She couldn't have been happier and keep kicking back in her highchair to eat :)


Casen and our Ultimate Pizza!


Then we headed back to the hotel and gave these dirty kids a much needed bath!

Inside our room. It had a full kitchen, which was great and would be perfect for a longer stay!


Tuesday morning we got up and headed out for another hike. It was a "moderate" hike and normally we just take our kids on the easy hikes. As we were starting out a couple warned us that we might not make it very far...


Some of the hike was easy and beautiful. Ok all of it was beautiful, but not all of it was easy!



Hard to tell but we are right on the edge of a cliff. I got a little nervous a couple times, just cause I don't think the kids realize how easy they could get hurt, but they did awesome.


We had to cross this little wood bridge, did not like that part! Glad it didn't give in on us!


Can you find the little bridge we crossed??




So beautiful, I just loved the scenery!




We all made it!! The view was AMAZING! So glad they had this fence cause it was at least a 1000 ft drop! Ryan and I were both a nervous wreck even with the fence there! My heart is actually racing just looking at the picture, so so thankful we were safe!


After our hike we headed back to Vegas. Leaving the hike you travel through a 1.2 mile tunnel, pretty neat. Marlee was exhausted, but stayed awake the entire 3 hour drive! I was a wreck, but she did good despite being so tired :)

Over all, it was just SUCH a fun getaway with our little family. I loved just paying with the kids and seeing them do so well on the hikes. The perfect little vacation!