Our Utah Trip...Part One.

The kids were so excited to leave for Utah, they were packed and ready with their bags about an hour earlier than we needed to leave for the airport. Morgan was so so determined, she took her bag out to the end of the driveway. I guess she thought if we weren't going to take her, she'd hitch a ride to the airport. Morgan was so over the whole travel thing by the time we got to Seattle.

See how board she looks? The kids enjoying some downtime at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Orem after

a long day of travel. They had an awesome view of the mountains! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for an awesome day! They took us to this huge dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point.

Grandma and Chandler at the Thanksgiving Point Museum of Ancient Life. His face says it all. He was like a kid in a candy store!


This is the reason why I don't like surfing!

My cute little archaeologist. Morgan had just as much fun as Chandler digging up fossils. Gabe in front of his favorite dinosaur...The Jack Sparrowasaurous. Day 2Hogle Zoo!

I took the kids to the Hogle Zoo on Tuesday. They were very excited, and couldn't wait to

explore the large zoo, especially with all the new animals they don't get to see up in Alaska.

Chandler standing in front of one his favorites...the rare white Crocodile. I don't know which is scarier...the snake, or the look on Chandler and Gabe's faces.

Sorry Grandma...hopefully grandpa censored for you.

The kids climbing on one of the many animal statues they have at the zoo.

All in all, I think they had fun, lots of sun, and got to see a whole bunch

of new animals.

Day 3

My friend Becky Clinger and I met up at Thanksgiving Point, to let the kids play, and visit in the warm sun. The Gardens seemed to be the perfect place. They have a big Noah's Ark, and wading pool for the kids to splash around in, and beautiful flowers everywhere!

Gabe in front of one of the waterfalls, and a secret cave at the Gardens. Morgan and Sean became quick friends, and were

pretty much inseparable that day.

This is the Noah's Ark boat at the water park where we played.

Pretty cool, hu?

Morgan and her new friend having ice cream

at Thanksgiving Point.

Becky and I met during our sophomore year in HS and have been

great friends ever since. It was so wonderful seeing her again.

Returning from Vaca!

Flying home from Boise today. Will hopefully post some pictures of our trip tomorrow, if I'm not with Matt at the hospital. He suffered some pretty serious Sunburns at McCall. At least 2nd degree, and we're thinking maybe even some 3rd. You'd think me being an Arizona girl, I maybe would have seen things like that, but no way. He had some blisters on his back the size of a small teacup. (Don't know if we have, or even is anybody wants to see pictures of that one...yuck)
Wish me luck, cause now I'm not only flying with 3 children, but a burn victim as well.

On Vacation!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. The kids and I are down in Utah for a week, and Matt will join us Saturday for his Family Reunion in McCall, ID.

Okay, so for those of you moms who are contemplating traveling alone on planes with kids, here's a little advice..... DON'T! :)

Actually, it wasn't too bad. The hard part of it was the fact that I was a dummy and booked us a red eye flight. And my kids don't remember the last time they flew, (the boys were 2 and 3, and we flew to Disneyland) so they were all very excited and did not want to sleep the first leg. By the time we got to Seattle and flew from there to Boise however, I couldn't hardly get them to wake up at the airport. I finally had to piggy-back Morgan onto one of the suitcases, and hall her out to the rental cars that way. (BIG thanks to Bro. Beuss for his help at the luggage carousel) But we finally made it and the kids are having so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa Stastny. We went to Thanksgiving Point yesterday, and we're doing the zoo today. Wish me luck!

5 Miles of Thought.

Saturday was the Women's Run. It's only a 5 miler (no prob for people like Alina or Jarad).

But for others, 5 miles gives you lots of time to think while you run. I was running a little bit late, getting into Anchorage, and as I changed my shoes at the car, I felt the tiniest little rock in my shoe. But I ignored it, because I was late, and still needed to get in the long line for the bathrooms before staging at the start line. Then, I just forgot about it... till mile 3. That's when I felt the unmistakable start of a blister, in the spot where I knew there was a rock. Just a tiny little thing. How could it cause so much pain? This may sound silly, but in my head, as I'm running, I'm likening this little rock to sin. How many times do we, in our everyday life, think: "oh, there's just a few bad word in that movie", or "I'll just go over the speed limit a little bit, I'm running late". "The clerk forgot to charge me for that soda, but I don't want to drag all the kids back in there again." Nobody will ever know. Just this one little thing. How many 'little rocks' are we carrying around in our shoes? We think, oh, I'll take care of it later, and then we forget about it, till we're half way through the race, and let me tell you, that's the last place you want to be when you realize you've neglected to take care of the little things. The advisary is very good at making things seem like its no big deal. But trust me, I felt that blister with every step I ran those last 2 miles, and it caused me to almost say "oh, I'll just walk for a little while, nobody will know". But I didn't, because someone would know. And it is that same person who makes up for what we lack. He is able to carry us those last few miles, when the pain is too much for us to bare...

Anyways, these are the little things that come to my head as I'm running the race. Just think of the inspiration I'll get during the half marathon! (I'll have to work up to that one:) Oh, as a side note, I shaved 12 minutes off my time from my run last year. Yeah me!

Happy Father's Day!

I am blessed to be able to wish a Happy Father's Day to 3 amazing men in my life.

The first obviously, is my wonderful, adoring husband Matt.

There are so many reasons why I am glad he is the father of my three children.

Nothing brings more joy to me, than to come home from an errand,

or a girls night out, to see Matt down on the floor, playing with the kids.

He's wonderful at reading with the boys at bedtime. He even reads Morgan

her fairytale books. He frequently sends me out for breaks, after he comes home from work, and sees that it's been a rough one. Today, he was especially wonderful, not only watching the kids while I did the Women's Run, but also taking over for me at the Primary Activity and doing one of the activities with the kids. What a guy! I am also glad that Matt is the patriarch of our family, and a

worthy priesthood holder. What a wonderful example to our two sons, to

have a father who takes his responsibilities so seriously. I know he has

a testimony of not only the gospel, but of forever families, and see its evidence

with each act of kindness he renders daily on our behalf.

I also want to wish my dad a Happy Father's Day.

I am very lucky to live just down the street from my parents.

They have been a blessing during very trying times, and I have

been able to turn to my father when seeking advice on a number of issues.

The kids love camping and doing outdoors stuff with their grandpa.

My dad loves the quote from Mark Twain: " ..when I was a young man of 14, my father was the most ignorant man I knew. When I turned 21, I was amazed at how much my father had learned in those 7 years." We often give our dad a hard time about this, because we always knew my dad was smart, we just always thought we were smarter. But perhaps that's part of the blessing of trials, to learn that we don't always know as much as we thought we did. That part of being tried, is being taught.


Last, but most certainly not least, is my father-in-law. (Shiny Shelby) This is an amazing man,
who has been one of the best examples of Christ-like behavior. He has raised 5 wonderfully
accomplished and self-reliant kids. I am always bragging about my SIL's and how
independent and hard working they all are. And I know a big reason for this, is
the way they were raised. I am so glad that my husband had this great man
as a role model growing up.


Recently, my in-laws returned from a mission to San Diego. What a
great example it was to my children, to see the sacrifice their grandparents
were willing to make to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.
I will always be grateful to Shelby for showing my children how to serve others
and I am thankful to be a part of his family, and proudly call him Dad.

My Hubby Mateo!

1. What is his name? Matthew Stastny

2. Who eats more? Matt, but its usually all in one sitting, like dinner. He's not a big breakfast eater. And lunches are usually left overs from dinner the night before.

3. Who said I love you first? He did.

4. Who is taller? Matt (that was on my list for future husband,)

5. Who is smarter? We're both smart in different ways. I have to live with the dumb blond stereo type, so I'm at a disadvantage, but he really is very smart.

6. Who is more sensitive? He is. I'm often known as "the ice queen".

7. Who does the laundry? Me

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Depends on the night. I like to swap sides.

9. Who pays the bills? I do.

10. Who cooks more? Me, definitely. He's still not sure which side of the bread to butter for grilled cheese sandwiches. :)

11. What meals do you cook together? He helps out on Sundays.

12. Who is more stubborn? Him, definitely

13. Who is the first to admit they're wrong? We both can.

14. Who has more siblings? Him, he has 4.

15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? We each have our moments.

16. What do you like to do together? Everything, from going shopping with the kids, hiking, playing tennis, to just watching TV while snuggling on the couch.

17. Who eats more sweets? Me. Matt doesn't really like them all that much.

18. Guilty pleasures? He loves ice cream. But also peanut butter with Hershey's squares.

19. How did you meet? His family owned the bookstore I was working at one summer when he came home from his mission.

20. Who asked who out first? It was a mutual, "hey, this movie is playing, wanna go see it?"

21. Who kissed who first? Matt kissed me first, but he will say that I was giving out all the signals for him to try.

22. Who proposed? Matt, definitely.

23. His best features? His personality, his love for everyone, he's an amazing father, his sense of humor, his work ethic, and his efforts to help us both constantly improve ourselves.

24. What is his greatest quality? He has a kindness about him that's unconditional. He is one of the most non judgemental people I have ever known. It's something I really admire, and hope to improve upon within myself.

25. Tag? Whomever wants to!

Chandler "Nightingale"

Conversation between me and Chandler tonight.

Chandler: Mom, your looking really hot.
Me: I am, I don't feel too swell.
Chandler: Do you want a wet rag for your forehead?
Me: Yea, that would be great. The washcloths are upstairs.
Chandler: Do you want it for your forehead, or your threehead?
Me: (?)
Chandler: (seeing the confusion on my face) Forehead I take it?

A few minutes later, he comes in with the wet cloth.

Chandler: (singing) What's new pussy cat? Whoa oh oh oh whoa. What's new pussy cat?


This kid cracks me up!

Random Pictures

Papa spent a couple Saturday's with daddy's and uncles building this

"tree house". (It's actually not even connected to any tree) But it is high.

He attached a rope ladder, and the kids have been having a ball playing

in it. The only problem so far? The girls want to paint it pink and decorate

it, and the boys want to make it into a pirate ship.
Gabe out on our grassy knoll.

I love this kid's profile. He has the cutest little nose.

unfortunately he also has his mother's hard to

tame eyebrows to go with.


Its hard to get this little one to stand

still for a photo for more than a few

seconds at a time. Try getting her

to smile about it!

My little flamingo!

Morgan decided she needed to cool off, and the closest

thing to a pool was Scout's water dish. (yuck!)

The boys out field training Bear with papa.

Gabe on his musk ox farm field trip. It was my

birthday, and Matt had things planned for us to

do, so his grandma was kind enough to go with him.

I love how blue Chandler's eyes are. Especially with

the blue shirt he's wearing and contrasting green grass.

And the kids has the longest eyelashes.

My apron is finally done for the apron swap!

Race Day Pictures

Here are the promised photos of my

Eklutna Challenge Weekend. What a trip.

Jessica and I before the race. We were so innocent then.

We didn't know we'd be risking our very lives on a 15 mile trek

around a lake. Not even bike trails. (some were more like a

bear trail. And from the fresh scat, I'd say

that's exactly what they were.) Aren't we cute?

Morgan on her photo shoot with the boys while her mommy

raced through the woods around the lake behind her.
After the race. (we stood up just for the picture...before this,
we were laying passed out in the woods behind us.)
Our hair is windblown, we're sweaty, dirty, stinky, but
our husbands and kids have never been more proud.

Kids say/do the funniest.....

I sent Morgan outside to wake up Matt and Gabe this morning. (they camped out in the tent last night). She'd been gone for only a few minutes when I heard the back door slam shut. Then stomping, then my door came flying open....

Morgan: Mother, Dad said I couldn't have this and he not supposed to, and I want to, and I told him he's in big trouble! (all one long, ramble)

Me: (since I had no idea what her complaint was, I had to go with the safe bet) If your dad told you to do something, you better do it.

Morgan; (folding her arms across her chest, and stomping into the bathroom) Now I'll never marry!

(well now I'm totally confused. somehow I've ruined my own daughter's chance for a happily ever after and I don't even know what I did! Or didn't do. Or was it something I said? Maybe mom was right. Maybe boys are easier. )


Then came church today. I left RS a little early, so I could make it into primary for Gabe to read his scripture. I was standing in the back, watching my two boys in their classes. Then I noticed Chandler glancing back at the clock every 10-20 seconds. He'd look back, mouth 'come on...' or 'darn it, its not time yet', then look back to the front. Then he'd look back at the clock, look disappointed, and turn back around. I still don't know what he was so antsy about. He was obviously waiting for church to get out. But his teacher said he's never done this before. Maybe he was worried his pet caterpillar was hungry for dinner. Maybe he had an important meeting he was late for. Or maybe, he was a little weirded out by the modesty sharing time.

These are some of the promised pictures from our weekend at Eklutna.

The kids had so much fun hiking down by the lake. Morgan's favorite thing (obviously)

was picking all the dandelions. Here's how I did Morgan's hair for the weekend. Gabe found

a pretty little flower to put in her hair.
It was just the kids and I for the day till Matt got done working.
I really enjoy these times with the kids.

Me, right before the Eklutna Challenge.

Gabe was my training partner the night before. I think we circled through the camp grounds 5-6 times. He's only been riding a two wheeler since his birthday. (Grandma and

Grandpa got him a bike for his birthday!) And right now, he only has two speeds.

Really fast, and crashing. But he is good about getting back on the bike, and

trying again. We pretty much have to drag him in off his bike every night.

Morgan, our junior-extreme biker. The kid has a real knack for

cycling. She's always trying to ride mommy's bike.

Our family.

Panoramic view of one of my favorite places in Alaska.

Eklutna Lake is so peaceful, and gorgeous.

I love coming here with my family.

My wonderful kids, on the bridge during our hike.

Chandler and Gabe have the posing down. We still

have to work on our delicate little flower. See the muffin

being shoved into her mouth while the other two are smiling?

A Single Rose

About a week ago, Matt came home with a surprise. A single rose for me, and one for Morgan.

It was such a sweet gesture. So Matt. So simple, and the fact that he brought one for Morgan just about melted my heart. She loved it. She is obviously daddy's little princess, and is big into fairy tales.

I'm so glad I have a Prince Charming who treats me like a Queen.

Whether its slaying dragons, or swimming through shark infested waters to bring me a lemonade, I know he's always there for me, supporting me, and helping me to be my very best.

Hokey, I know, but in today's world, I think a little hokey is just fine.

Race and Reflection

I've had a day to rest now, from my exciting little "challenge". So I can now talk about the more serious side of the race. I had a lot of time (unfortunately) to think. My IPOD was blaring during the run, but its harder to hear during the biking portion, so I pulled the bud out of my ear. Partly because I couldn't hear as well, and partly because I was all alone, and wanted to hear any rustling in the tress , ie:bears. So I was left alone with my thoughts for 15 miles of rough terrain. As I said before, I was so ready to quit, and give up part of the way. But every time that little voice said, 'go ahead, turn around...no one will know", I saw Morgan's face, and heard her yelling "yeah mommy, gooooo Mommy!" Then I saw Matt, my ever faithful companion waiting for me at the finish line. Then the thought came to my mind, "it doesn't matter when you finish. What matters is that you finish with honor, and your family will be there at the end when you get there." Now, this definitely applied to the race, but I think it also applies to our daily lives. I know that when I am finally called home to my Heavenly Father (which I hope is a ways off) my family will be there, waiting for me, cheering me on. Not just my immediate family, but all those who have gone before me.