Loving Life!!!!

My Candle Light Belly Dancing Performance 10/28/2011

2011-11-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

I am to the right in the light blue skirt, light pink top, and flower in the hair. Front Row... This is such a beautiful dance.

Coconut Banana Bread...Yummy!

2011-10-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups self rising flour (use all purpose and increase baking soda to 1 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut (or shredded coconut)
1 cup light coconut milk (my store did not have light, they only had original so I used that)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease your bread pans. I cover my pans in Crisco and then put flour to coat it. Set aside

In the one bowl using a wooden spoon mix the oil and sugar. And the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract.

Whisk together in another bowl the flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, stir together the mashed bananas and the coconut milk.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Mix until combined. Stir in the coconut. ( I sprinkled in a little extra, I love coconut)

Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 1 hours and 15 minutes. ( I checked about an hour and mine was done) Do to toothpick test to see if it comes out clean. I doubled this recipe and it took 3 large pans. But they have here you can use 4 small loaf pans and cook for about 45 min. (and that's not doubling it)

Let bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

William Jr.'s First Homecoming Dance 2011

2011-10-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

William Jr. got to go to his first homecoming dance this year. He went on a triple date with his friends. They thought it would be cool to wear white sunglasses. :)

Alex Lux, William Jr., and Cayden Taylor. Handsome Boys

The boys and their dates. They all looked so cute! I was probably just as excited as they were. I even bought them each a pack of gum. Told them they could not have smelly boy breath dancing with these cute girls.

William and his date/girlfriend Brittany. I have to say they are dang cute!!! And I love her dress.

Yes I was crying a little. My boy is growing up. Not much longer he will be 18 and a senior. Where does time go?

Look who got their Drivers License....

2011-10-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

William took Drivers Ed. Look who passed!!!

William Jr and his Drivers License. Its Official, so stay off the roads.

His poompa gave him his old car. It will be a good first car.

William Mackintosh Jr with his first car

Wow! Where does time go. William has his first car and a drivers license. So far only one car accident and no tickets. I highly recommend you wait until they are 18 and get them a license. The good thing is now he can get a job and get himself there. And it has been nice if I have needed something at the store or a kid picked up.

This is what Vaulting is and what Marian is doing...

2011-10-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

Hope there are Horses in Heaven

2011-10-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

My friend Peyton has gotten me back into riding horses. I have forgotten how much I love it! Riding horses is my drug.

Peyton has also introduced us to vaulting. So of course Marian just had to join. She wants to be on the competing team so bad. I will get some better pictures.

The vaulting team Marian is part of is doing a rescue horse program. You can keep track of the horses we rescue and their progress on Facebook under "Technique Horse Rescue". Wish was the first horse we rescued. He had sores all over him and bones sticking out. So the families of the group would help feed him and take care of whatever was needed. Once he started getting healthy his personality was coming out. When we were taking this picture of Wish and Marian, he was trying to put his hooves on the gate also. I guess he thought he could stand on it too. Marian wanted to adopt him so bad. But we would not have a place for him. He has now been adopted out to a family. We will miss him!

Before: All of the sores

After: All gone

Before: Look how skinny he was. You can see his bones. :(

After: Look how healthy, shiny, and happy he looks!

We love Wish! Gonna miss him so much.

Rock Climbing with the Family 2011

2011-10-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Will has now started rock climbing this year. He has been going with friends and the family. I think he has now found his new passion. I on the other hand am so chicken to climb.

Me + heights =very scared

So I get to enjoy the beautiful hikes to the spots the climb. And the views are so amazing!

Yes, I had my kids lay on the ground so it looked like I was higher. Even though it was only like 6 feet. lol I felt like a champion getting that far.

William Jr. long legs help him cruise up the sides of the mountains. Not to mention he is so strong.

Antonio is very fast and my dare devil. He is loving this rock climbing. He now has his own gear.

Marian likes rock climbing some. I think she will stick to horses. She might take after her mommi. ;)
Jose is my Spider Monkey! He just gets up on there and goes. Takes after his daddy.

I wonder what new thing we will try out next?!?!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Buttercream Frosting

2011-10-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

I made these the other day and they turned out divine. So many people requested the recipe, so I put it on here thinking it would be the easiest way to get it out.

Cookie Dough:

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

3 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cookie Dough Buttercream Frosting

3 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla Extract

Directions:

To make the cookie dough, combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using 1.5 Tbsp scoop, shape the dough into ball or tubes. Freeze on parchment lined baking sheet over night. (It only took mine 45 minutes to freeze)
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. (24 total) In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment( I just used hand mixer), combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the side of bowl as needed. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Using a 3 Tbsp scoop, fill the prepared cupcake liners 2/3 full with the cupcake batter. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake. Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes.
To make the frosting, combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips! Makes 24 cupcakes.

Enjoy!

*They are so much better if you wait for them to cool!

* I was able to freeze the cookie dough in 45 minutes. I made those first and put in freezer. While they were freezing I made the cupcakes and icing.

Note to self... My kids think I should put on more icing next time.

I made these for the neighbor boo treats.

Meet your new Best Friend :)

2010-08-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

Meet your new best friend when you are sore. Its a foam roller. It hurts so bad when you are doing it. But then when you stand up to walk, you can feel a difference. They say you should also always use one of these after a workout. We ended up buying one to keep at home. If you don't have one, get one. Trust me! lol

Versus Momentum Promo

2010-08-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

Enough said.....

Crossfit And How It Has Changed My Life

2010-08-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

"Crossfit" Who would have ever thought that this would be such a strong word in my life. I am sure my friends are sick of hearing the word "Crossfit" come out of my mouth. But that is okay....I am hoping that one day I will be able to share what I am going through with others and they will want the same feelings. Crossfit is life changing, I am doing things now I would never have imagined myself doing.

It all started with this guy. My amazing husband. Who is now a Crossfit trainer for Viking Crossfit. Also after this weekend he will be an Endurance Trainer. Plus he is the hottest Firefighter out there. ;) Since we have been married(16 1/2 years now) he has been trying to get me to do some sort of fitness. I tried walking tracks, weight lifting, swimming, running, etc. It was just not for me. One day he came across this Crossfit stuff. He was doing it here at home. He would even sometimes have the kids and I doing it with him down stairs. A few months later he came across Viking Crossfit and we joined. The first year was a little off and on for me. I would get so sore I would only show up once a week. I just was not giving it 100%. Finally after quitting a job that made me unhappy, I started going during the day everyday. I learned that no matter how sore you were, you had to show up the next day and do a workout. I was so sore I would hold onto the walls to sit on the toilet, I would go down stairs on my butt, and I would have to ask for help to get out of my seat. But I kept showing up and they were right it helped! Why you ask, would I go through soooo much pain to be in shape? Well here is why......

Mount Timpanogos 2nd largest mountain in Utah

In Utah there is a Mountain called Mount Timpanogos. The 2nd tallest mountain in Utah. I never in a million years thought I would hike to the top of it. One day at the gym I said "hey lets all climb to the top." So a group of us did. It was so hard! I got to the saddle part of it and gave up. I just hid behind a rock waiting for my husband to come down. Finally he did and asked me what I was doing. I said, "I can not go anymore." He said, "Yes you are" and pulled me up that mountain. See that is what Crossfit is all about. You will always have someone there pushing you when you say "I can't". Go to Golds Gym and see if anyone is there yelling at you to keep going or to not give up. You will give up before anyone at the CrossFit gym will let you. It's all in your head. Pain is mental, you just have to get past that.

This is Will and I at the top of Mount Timpanogos in the tower. We signed the book together and everything. Woohoo! I did it!! I did it!!

Me on top of the world. See one of the benefits of being in shape is you get to see the most amazing things. That day I got to see a huge glacier, chipmunks that came right up to me, beautiful wild flowers, and the most breath taking view ever. I couldn't have asked for more.

Over the past several years we have gone on tons of hikes as a family. We have hiked to several waterfalls. This one is called Stewart Falls. With me getting myself in shape I am able to take my kids to some amazing places and experience it with them. Once again, you can't beat that!

In Nevada by where Will grew up there are these huge rocks called "Devils Kitchen". I was able to hike it with everyone in 104 degree temp. But who cares about 104 degrees. Without Crossfit I would not have been able mentally to get through the hike on the hot rocks. It's all mental and you will find those walls that you have to break down. Also that next day I hiked a mountain by the ranch that his family calls Alfred's nose. Never in a million years did I think I would ever hike that with Will. But guess what, I did!!

River Rafting has now become a family/fire station tradition. Those of you that have gone river rafting know that it is harder then it looks. That your arms kill. The first year I thought my arms were gonna fall off. But now that I am Crossfiting yeah they get tired, but they do not feel like they are gonna fall off. Several years ago I watched my husband do the "Tackle the Tower". I was actually quite jealous. I thought to myself "why can't I do the things he does?" I wanted to experience those accomplishments like he was. I wanted to do something so cool. I sat there and was feeling bad for myself. I thought, "yeah right this will never happen. "Well..... because of Crossfit I did it!! It was so cool. As I got to the top I wanted to cry I was so happy. I thought to myself, I FREAKING did it!!

Crossfit has built my confidence up in so many ways. I have now taken on belly dancing. Yeah I might not have a tight belly(yet!) or body. But that is okay, because I know I will and I am having fun. And now I am gonna try out for a belly dancing team in November. Woot! Woot!

UGH! Those that know me, know I HATE running with a passion. Well, since I have been Crossfitting I have now ran five, 5k's. Hated every minute of it, but I did it! I have to say that finishing one of those races is the most amazing feeling. Now I do it for that feeling.

That is a 44# Kettle Bell I'm swinging over my head. I am doing over 200# dead lifts and I started out with a PVC pipe. I am doing over 100# bench presses. Me! I am doing that! It just does not seem real when I think back on my life before Crossfit. Weight stuff is my strength, cardio is not(yet!).
Never thought I would be so happy about tearing my hands because I did so many pullups. And to even take pics of it... you know I am addicted. lol

It only took almost 2 years but I am now doing kipping pullups!! Booya! Me! I am doing kipping pull ups!! I am now working on butterfly pullups and chest to bar pullups. And you know what, I am gonna do them!
This girl Miranda, is pretty much my Crossfit idol. My goal is to look like her. Even after 4 kids I think I can do it. I am already seeing the muscles form in my shoulders, arms, and thighs. Now to get my belly like that. I will!

January of this year I watched girls and guys from my gym compete in a challenge. I thought to myself as I watched them that there was no way I would ever compete in it.

But this year I made a deal with my husband that I was gonna try the Utah Affliate Winter Challenge in January 2011. So let the training begin....

The Dirty Dash, yup I am gonna do it. Its a 10k run through mud and obstacles up ski slopes. eeeeeekkkkkk Check it out at http://www.thedirtydash.com/. I'm doing that in September. My team is called "Viking Crossfit Warrior Princesses". We are gonna have some fun!

I have this picture hanging everywhere for my motivation to get me ready for the dirty dash. Our picture is gonna be just as cool. Wait until you see our costumes. hee hee

Well its time to get my butt in gear. I am gonna hit this hard to prepare for my two goals. Giving up coffee and soda. I am trying to do "The Zone" as much as I can, watch what I eat and get healthy. Still trying to stomach the protein drinks. Gag!

I am making my yearly appointment this week to make sure I am healthy. If not healthy, then I want to see what I need to do to get there. I am taking my vitamins, fish oil, calcium chews, and iron pills. It's a start!

I do have a challenge with my work outs and that is asthma. Cardio and me are not a good combination. So this little guy is what gets me through them. Several weeks ago I had a huge asthma attack that had me in urgent care. But thats okay, nothing is gonna stop me. I am now in the best shape of my life and I am only gonna get better. I am gonna finish that Dirty Dash and the Utah Affiliate Winter Challenge. I am not looking for first place. I am looking for it to be an accomplishment for ME!

So for those of you that say "there is no way I can do that," yes you can! If I can then so can you! I guarantee that Crossfit will change your life. You will do things you never imagined. If you don't believe me ask some of my friends that I now have doing it. Ask the people at my gym that I workout with. Asks the thousands and thousands of people that are now doing it. I am not trying to sell you anything I just want you to be able to feel and do the things I do. Crossfit has changed my life!!

http://www.crossfit.com/ if you wanna see what Crossfit is all about, check this out.

http://www.vikingcrossfit.com/ my gym.

http://www.thedirtydash.com/ the mud race I am gonna do! Woot! Woot!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_diet to learn more about the Zone diet, check this out.

http://www.fishoil.com/ Info on fish oil. I get mine from Costco. The Kirkland brand. Omega 3 Fish oil.

Also I take Calcium chews. When working out you are always putting strain on your bones. To me it is important to keep your bones strong.

Check out my video I posted below. It sums it all up. :)

Much Needed Update!!!

2010-03-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

Well this is a much needed update...... Where do I begin??? Life is busy and crazy as ever. But I am loving it. This past year Will and I had our 16 year anniversary. We are still going strong and having lot's of fun. He is my best friend.

William tried out for the High School wrestling team this year and made it! He won more matches then he lost. He now towers over Will and I. That's my boy!!!! Also, he turned 15 this past January. Where is time going?

Antonio is such a neat kid. He is sooooo smart. He loves reading. He is reading one book after another. And he is excited to try out for wrestling this year. The kids better watch out for him. He is soooo fast. It's hard to believe he is gonna be 13 in a couple of days.

Marian was on the Twister Cheer Team again this year. She loves it and is our rubberband. She also loves to read tons. She amazes us when she tells us the things she learns. And oh boy is she a daddys girl!! And she knows it.....when dad hugs her when boys are mean, she slickly sticks out her tongue at them. She turned 10 this past February.

My little Jose, he is a mommi's boy and he will tell you so. My baby turned 8 this past November. He is now in scouts and counts down hours and days for Wednesday nights. It's so cute. He still has a huge imagination though. Loves to tell tall tales at the dinner table.

And here is a pic of our newest member of the family, "Brindy". This is what she does when she is not tearing up things. She has been so much fun in our family. She has the funniest personality and is great with the kids.

Well is still loving his firefighter career. He is now a trainer for crossfit also. He does so much for this family. He is a great husband and father. We could not ask for better. The kids and I count down minutes for him to come home. He just turned 39!! Wow, one more year and he will be over 40. Over the hill and still hot as ever. lol
I have now started taking some college classes. I have been able to keep a 97 A so far this semester. I can't believe how much I have forgotten since high school. I have also taken on belly dancing. I am loving it and am hoping to make the team. I also am loving being a wife and mommi. I look forward to all the things we can do as a family. Life can't get any better.

I do have to share that several years ago, when Will did tackle the tower, I said I wanted to do it. Never thought in a million years I would. Thanks for Crossfit for getting me in the best shape of my life, I did it this year!!! Woot! Woot!

Life is good and we are still having fun. We cannot wait for the warm weather to get here. We are ready to be out doors and hike the mountains and travel. Loving Life!!

Gardening!!

2009-08-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

This year we have had a wonderful garden. Been having fresh vegetables in all different ways. I wanted to just share some of the ways we have been using them. Yummy!!

We grew Jalapenos, Sweet Bananna Peppers, habanero peppers. We have been putting them in chilli mac, omlets, salsa, etc. Yummy!

We have so many tomatoes growing this year. They are divine! We have been slicing them and just eating them with salt n pepper. Adding them in omlets, salsa, tomato sandwhiches, etc.

The squash is one of our favorite things. I have been makin my grandmas famous squash. The kids can't get enough of it.

Are you hungry yet? We also have a cabbage growing that Marian got from school. Can't wait to cook it up.

1st day of School

2009-08-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

School started and the kids were excited to go. William Jr. is finishing up his last year at the Jr. High. Can you believe he is in 9th grade? Antonio started Jr. High this year and he is in 7th grade. My big boys are growing up. (sniff) When we pulled up I said that I had forgotten to take their pic. They sighed and ughhhed. So I came up with a idea..... Just lean in the window and smile. No one will even notice. I think they liked that idea.

Then I told them to go stand by the tree and act like they were talking. They said just hurry and take it. lol They could not ruin their image. So as they walked off I said "I love you, I mean peace out". Why do they have to grow up???

Marian is now in 4th grade and Jose is in 2nd grade. They were so excited. And I think their teachers are going to be awesome. Marian was such a good big sis. She told Jose where they would meet after school each day. And then told him if he ever needed her, to come to her class. And took him to it so he would know where to go. Sniff. As we walked Marian to her class there was all these boys in line. They came up hugging her and telling her how glad they were she was in their class. Should I be worried?!?!?!?! Then I walked Jose to his class. And proceeded to give him several kisses. I hear this.... mom you are embarrasing me. Look up and his teacher was just a giggling. I told her she was gonna have a lot of fun with him .

When I was done taking pictures, Jose asked for me to take a picture of his ear. My reaction was, What!! He said I want you to remember my hobbit ear. What the heck!?!?! I laughed my butt off. He says some crazy things. So I took the picture and he was happy. Boy I just love my kids!!

2009-2010 School year here we come!!

Mt. Timpanogos Hike!

2009-08-09T15:26:00.001-07:00

Will and I got to hike the Timpanogos Mountain yesterday. One of the largest mountains in Utah. It was a beautiful hike but I don't know if I could ever do it again. Maybe to go up with my boys when they are older. On this pic I have a fake smile. I was in some pain and out of breath. The higher we went the thinner the air and the harder to breath. Our hands were so swollen by the time we got to the top and we don't know why.

Will ended up hiking fast to the top with Blake. I could not keep up. So Kevin and Sabrina ended up hiking up with me most of the way.

I love the views up there. Slowly but surely we were getting to the top.

Taking a must needed rest.

Funny story about this chipmunk. He climbed the flowers to eat them. I sat there for a minute and watched. Turned around to walk away and all of a sudden something was squawking like crazy. We turn around and he had a flower in his hands and yelling at me in the middle of the path. It was so funny.

Had to do the typical crossfit squat on the top. It was 20 degrees and so windy. brrrrrrr

I went a head of Sabrina and Kevin and was waiting for them on the saddle on top. I was hiding behind a rock because I was freezing.

Okay where do I begin with this picture..... I have to say Will is my hero. Like I said earlier he got to the summit before me. I was resting on the saddle and mentally trying to get myself up. When Kevin and Sabrina got there I said just go up with out me I am done. I was feeling a little sad because I did not make it to the summit with Will. So they were getting ready to leave and I turned around and saw Will coming down. He came over to me and said come on sweet heart lets go. I was thinking to go back down the mountain. So I was like okay. He said no I mean to the top. He came back down to get me so we could do it together. That made me feel so good and I even choked up. I love my husband!!! I know the last 30 minutes was the hardest. And he did it twice.

Take notice how small the path is behind me to the summit. It was even more scarier as you went up. Me and heights don't mix.

Proof I made it to the tip top. This is inside the little shed on the top of the summit. This is the historic marker.

At the top they had a book for you to sign your name. The top one is Will's. Although he wrote he was 39. HaHa he is only 38.

My signature. My hands were so swollen and cold I could hardly write.

This is my favorite pic of Will and I. Boy do I love him! I am so happy we got to go to the summit together. He said the look I gave him when I first saw him coming down made it worth going up again. (once again choking up)

Kevin, Sabrina, Will, and I. We made it!!!! Kevin proposed to Sabrina on the top. Notice huge rock on her left hand. I got some really good pics with his camera. The rangers said they were the first to get engaged on top so they took their pics to put on the web site. Once again we were FREEZING!!!

The clouds were the coolest thing every. They were moving sooooo fast right along the mountain. It was amazing.

Loved the clouds. The only bad thing is we could not see the valley from the top at first!

There was still a lot of snow on the ground up there. brrrrr

Loved the views.

The clouds went away long enough for us to get some pics of the valley. Look how beautiful Utah Lake is. To the right is where we live.
Love the views once again.
Look how high we are.
Will told me to stand in front of the red, white, and blue wild flowers he wanted a pic.
I think this is my favorite pictue. I am so glad I hiked the mountain. I did not think I would get to the top mentally. But I did it! One of the hardest hikes and something I never would have imagined me doing. I am glad I was able to do it with Will also. My knees are screaming so bad but it is worth it.

New Edition to Our Family!

2009-07-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

Well as you can see we have a new edition to our family. The kids have been begging for a new dog since our Min Pin died. They have stated emphatically that they will take care of feeding, watering and picking up any landmines the dog leaves in the yard. Wills' family always had a dog when he was growing up and he's a sucker for anything Marian wants so he finally caved in. So after alot of looking we finally found one that meet the requirements. One, it had to be a breed we liked and two it had to be cheap. She is two months old and seems to be pretty smart. Like your typical puppy (or baby for that matter), if she can reach something it's fair game for being chewed on.
~Sparky giving the puppy the HooDoo Voodoo Eye aka the Stink Eye~ Sparky has been our house cat for almost 2 years now. My kids brought him home when they found him half dead on the side of the road. (Remember I said Will is a sucker when the little princess makes a request) Sparky thinks he is the king of all he sees so he can be a little tyrant at times. Kind of a miniaturized, furry Darth Vader if you will, so we were a little concerned about how he would react with the puppy. He actually did pretty good. In typical cat fashion he ignores the puppy until she goes to sleep then he comes sniffing around. Obviously the peasants can't see that the king might be curious! My guess is that it won't be long before they are putting the smackdown on each other.

We still don't have a name at this point. We'll have to see what her personality is like before we can come up with the appropriate name.

We are so excited for the boys to come home from Nevada on Sunday. They do not know so it will be a big surprise. Plus our bomb technicians already have landmines in the back yard that need defusing. It will be good to have a dog back in our family.

River Rafting Trip 2009

2009-07-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

Okay so I tried to arrange the pictures, but it was to big of a pain. So the ending is starting at the beginning. We went on our yearly trip again river rafting with Will's crew. Craig and his wife Courtney are awesome enough to arrange it for us. We went to Snake River in Wyoming. I ended up really sick before we left, but it was still so much fun. The first day we went rafting we were not sure if we were going to do it again the next day because it was soooooo cold. Ended up being beautiful the next day so we went twice. Our camp ground was right over another river that was amazing. We did a lot of cooking smores over the fire, eating, river rafting, and visiting. The kids would rise early and play tell they would just pass out in the chairs. I love the great out doors and want to go more often. We had such a good time as a family and we can't wait to go on more trips.

The last night we were there William Jr. talked Craig O. and Jack to go down the rapids by our tent in the duckies. William said it was a lot of fun but hated the mosquitos. (I have to say, I did not get bit once)
We were waiting on the bridge for them to come down the river. Will of course did our tradtional picture of sneaking a grab for the picture. Ha! Ha! I just love him.

Tony's dog Roudy wanted to get in the water so bad. When one of the kids through a rock in the water he went after it. We thought he was going to take a ride all the way down the river. The water was moving really fast. I think he was scared just as much as we were. eeeek!

This is Craig B. and his daughter Madison. Craig luckily had a lot of supplies to help us make our breakfast. We were not very prepared. His camper was also the local hangout. (I think Antonio had a crush on Madison) lol

This is Tony's wife Kristen and her new little baby. The little girl was Dave's and Robins. Kristen was my local coffee shop buddy.

This is Craig and Courtney. They are who make this trip possible. Plus they are just really cool people. I hope we can go on more trips with them. Craig had been teaching Will how to guide the raft so we can get our own raft.

The little girl Lyndsy is Craig O. And Courtneys. The man next to her is Paul. He has the raft that we call the tank. The kids love riding on his. He is not on the crew but a friend of Craig O. We are greateful for him to. Without his raft we would not be able to take as many trips during the day.

This is Craig and his wife. Yup you read that right. We had three Craig's on this trip. Craig is a retired fire fighter. Now he is a Harley man. This was their first year coming with us. Hope they come again next year.

This is Dave and Robin. I met them last year. They have two little girls and one baby boy. Dave always has good stories for the kids about his toes. Kids love to hear about them.

This is Tony(Will's captain also married to Kristen) and his new baby girl. He is also the one with the dog that almost drifted down the river. He is a lot of fun to be around.

Brian also is on Will's crew. He was very funny. I think he was given the name Bear. (inside camp joke) He thought it would be funny to come to our tent in the middle of the night and sound like a bear. The only problem is he did not know Will had a gun and that Will pulled it out. He did not do that again. lol (by the way there was a bear on our camp site the night before)

William and Antonio could not get enough of the river. They had to go everytime. I am just glad they were not on the raft that flipped over.

Marian and Jose were ready to go. The day before Jose was so cold he was balling. I am surprised he went again. I have some tough kids.

It is always a long process for everyone to get on the raft and get going.

My girl and I getting ready to go have us some fun. She was so brave and sat at the front of the raft. Go Marian!

My sexy Fireman and I. Boy I love him!

We rented port-a-potties for our site. And boy was I so very grateful for them.

Our tent was set up right next to the river. It sounded so amazing at night to fall asleep to. I wish I could always hear that sound when going to sleep.

This is the view by our tent to the left. Plus all of our kitchen set up.

This is the eagle that lived on our site. Craig did not realize it when he set up his tent. There was so much bird poop all over the top of his tent.

It was so beautiful and such an amazing trip. I think everyone had as good of a time as I did. And I cannot wait to go next year. Already counting down days. I took a water proof camera but have not gotten it developed yet or put on a disc. When I do I will post them.

Ward Pool Party

2009-07-11T13:08:00.001-07:00

Last night was our ward pool party. The water was very very cold. Ended up having a really good time with the kids.

A whole bunch of us grabbed hands and created a circle. Everyone starts going really fast and it creates a whirl pool. You ended up dragging the little kids because they could not keep up. It was a lot of fun!

Jose and Dakota would hold hands and jump in the water together. They are best buds!

Look at my strong girl. lol Go Marian!

Melanie and I goofed off and kept doing hand stands. See us old folk, (as the kids call us) know how to have fun to.

The boys wrestled in the water and played keep away with th e ball. Oh and they also did a little flirting lol.

Trisha was a party pooper and did not swim with us. We had some pictures of us holding up loser signs over her head, but they were not good pictures.

Anyway, we had fun eating good food and swimming. Now tomorrow we are leaving for our river rafting trip! Woo-hoo! We are so excited. I will post pictures when we get back.

Our Fourth of July Weekend

2009-07-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well our fourth of July was a lot of fun! The bummer part of it was Will had to work his 48 hour shift. I was able to go see him at the station Saturday morning because he forgot all of his work pants at home. (Will works every holiday this year including my birthday :( )

Well Melanie was really sweet and invited us over for a Barbq with her family. She made home made root beer. It was so Yummy!! (and I have never cared for Rootbeer and I now crave it) We had lots of yummy food .

When the kids got to wild at Melanies, her brother would hog tie them up. But of course Jose thought it was quite fun. Later that night we took the kids over to Thanks Giving Point to watch the Fireworks. We got a awesome spot. Although this year they were dragged out. Kids were even complaining they were bored.
Some of the fireworks were really pretty. We gave the kids glow necklaces and they played around with those until the show started.

And of course we had to play around like the kids.

Since it was so late we decided to do the roasting marshmellows the next day. We were not well prepared to start it. So we tried with what we had. "Come on baby, light up". UGH We both tried over and over....And then there was fire!! Woo hoo!! Kids were very happy. But then we made them wait until we could get some good flames going . Then they were'nt so happy. lol Woohoo Marshmellow Time! And of course the fire starters had to have some too!!

Well it was a good weekend. Wish Will could have been there. I guess they ended up having a watermelon eating contest with the cops. I would have loved to been a fly on the wall and seen that. We will have to get creative with our holidays this year. In a few days we will be leaving for our river rafting trip. And of course I will be posting some pics.

My mom came to Utah!

2009-06-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

Marian, Antonio, Jose, and my nephew Triston. They had such a great time together.

Will and I at the Cascades up American Fork Canyon. It was so pretty up there.

The waterfall at the Cascades. Wish this was in my back yard.

My mom and Patrick. They loved the hike to the waterfall.

My nephew Triston and I. Yeah we are cool like that.

The Mackintosh Family. Woop! Woop!

My mother and Patrick and some of the Grandkids. The last picture they took like this they were so much younger.

Ummm.. Will what are you doing?? Ha! Ha!

Will and the kids were seeing who could go all the way under the waterfall and take the beating.

I just love this picture. Boys will be boys!!

Wills famous meatloaf. One thing for sure, is we ate really good. My mom and Patrick wanted Will to make a lot of his good food. We did a lot of cooking and washing dishes.

Patrick got in and cooked his famous asparagous. Oh man they were to die for.

We went to Gateway Mall. Took the younger two to Build a Bear and then went and got a yummy caramel apple.

Warning..... Objects are stronger then they appear.

(Thanks for the idea Justin and Becca) ha! ha!

Wasatch Back Relay Race

2009-06-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

Kids Crossfit Imitation!

2009-06-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have to post this story because it was the cutest thing ever. Yesterday Will and I had to work late. So we stayed home and did a work out that Will made up. Melanie came over and joined us. Well all the kids were in the back yard playing. And they screamed out to us to look at what they were doing. They had made up their own crossfit work out. The weights that they were lifting over their heads was my favorite. Then they would lift up bikes, do pull ups from tree branches, and jump over logs carrying a pink bucket. I laugh everytime I think of it. I am glad they were following the good things we do. hee! hee! Crossfit for kids rock!

Firefighter 5K Run

2009-06-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

Before the Race... 3, 2, 1 Go!!!

So today I ran the Orem Firefighter 5K run. It was sooooo much fun. I actually felt really good after. Several years ago I ran several and hated every minute of them. So I can totally tell that crossfit helped me physcially and mentally. I am excited to run a 5k again and use what I learned today on the next one. Natalie, Dez, Rocky, and I ran it and after we took some fun pics. Notice the dieing look on my face in the running pictures. lol I am excited to practice on my running now and kick some butt. Next week Will will be running Ragnar. I will post pictures from his race. I am so excited for him. He will do awesome. :)Enjoy!!

Run Mandy Run!!

I ended up passing all of them. I am proud of myself.

After the race. Yeah we are Crossfit BA's!Natalie and I doing hand stands! Woop! Woop!Yeah we are cool like that :) Natalie, Dez, and I

One of our Trainers

Blake(married to Dez) and Phill showed up to cheer us on. They are also members of the gym we go to.

Netflix

2009-06-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

Will and I decided to give Netflix a try. It is so cheap and has been such a fun thing for our family. There are so many movies to choose from and you get them really fast. So we decided to get movies that we would watch as a kid and let our kids watch them. The one I laugh about is "The Car". It scared Will and I as kids. When we told the kids that they laughed. They said, "This scared you". lol Some of the movies they have really liked, some they thought were cheesy. For myself I have started the Desperate Housewives Series. Can I just say Marian and I are TOTALLY hooked. Everyday Marian runs to the mail to see if the next disk is there.

Will has like 70 movies on our waiting list. History and western ones of course. What is funny is, the older Rated PG ones have a lot of language. And the kids go, your moms let you watch this? Ratings have changed. Anyway Netflix is the way to go and so much fun for our family. For $18.00 a month I get 3 movies out at a time, no due dates. I thought I would share some of the titles we have watched so far......

If anyone has any old movie suggestions, suggest away!!!

Army Man Mohawks

2009-06-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

~Jose Before~

~Jose Rockin it After!~

~Jose "Rock On"~

Jose decided he wanted a mohawk. And he also told us he wanted to ask Dakotas mom if he could have one. So they could be Army Mohawk Men. lol So of course Melanie went for it. So Will and I got out the clippers and gave them their Mohawks. Then while doing them Antonio decided he wanted one. So here is some before and after pics. Hee Hee Go Army Mohawk Men. (really need to teach the kids to say Marine Mohawk Men:) )

~Dakota Before (Jose's Best Bud)

~Dakota After~

~Antonio Before~

~Antonio After~

A day at Air Force week at Hill Airforce Base

2009-06-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

This show could not have happened on a better day. The weather was beautiful and the kids did not fight. There is nothing like a rush when the airplanes go by so loud that it makes your inner ear vibrate and how you can feel it in your chest. The kids oooh and ahhh! It made Antonio even more excited to become a air force pilot. As soon as Jose said "oh dad I want to fly these". Wills response was, "no your gonna be a fire fighter". Remember? lol One of the parachute jumpers came over and asked Marian to help him put up his parachute. She thought it was the coolest thing ever. As she helped him there was a photgrapher there taking pics of her and him. She asked if she could put her pic in the paper and got her information. She also got pics of her putting his parachute pack on. (I will be posting pics of him jumping) If you ever get the chance to go to one of the shows I highly recommened it. Will and I kept getting chill bumps as the Thunderbirds did their show. I am going to put a few pics on that I took. I would love to put them all on but it is to many. Enjoy!

Marian helping him put his parachute away.

Parachute Jumper

I just thought this was cool. They were watching the show from there.

One of the Navy Seals Vehicles. My kiddos enjoying it.

Thunderbirds! So cool!!

They did so many cool tricks!

I thought it was sooo cool how good of pics my camera was taking.

I took this from the ground. But I love how it made it look like I was in the sky with them.

Happenings of our Family

2009-06-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Well school is out and summer has officially started. Kids are climbing the walls and ready to go here and there.

William- He is growing like a weed and is now taller then Will and I. He is attending summer school to do some catching up. Luckily it only last about a month so his summer will not be completely wasted. He is actually a really good teenager. I just can't believe how much time has flown past. I can't believe he is going to be in 9th grade. He asked if he kept his grades up if he could get in to wrestling next year. He asked his advisor what classes he needed to take to get on the swat team. So she gave him a list to work towards that goal. Antonio- He is still such a good boy! Loves his big brother and cannot stand to be away from him. He really looks up to William. We always have to remind William he is Antonios example. He did very well in school this year like always. Can you believe he is going to Jr High! My baby is growing up. I know he pays attention in class, because he always comes home excited to talk about it. He is outside everyday learning how to ride his skate board. He wants to be a air force pilot when he gets out of school. So we went to the air force center and they gave him posters to hang in his room to keep him excited.

(Get it Troll under Bridge ha ha ha)

Miss Marian- Where do I start with her. Is it possible that even though she is only 9 years old that I swear she creates the drama of a 16 year old? She thinks she is the boss. And knows if she does something wrong that she can run to daddy. Drives me crazy that she knows how to work the system. :) And of course daddy gives in to her. But she loves to lay around and read and play outside with her friends. She loves school and I hope she continues to. She is my straight "A" kid. She is doing competition cheer and wants to become a fashion designer when she gets older. We have been buying her books and kits on designing clothes. And she really does have a talent for it. A few weeks ago we took her in to get her hair cut. Her hair was almost to her bum. But daddy finally gave in and let her cut it off. (donated hair to locks of love) The first thing she tells the lady was that her dad was going to cry. It was very funny. So now her hair is above her shoulders and she looks really cute. I can't believe Will let her dance with this boy. (he took the pic) The other day we caught her sneaking waves to this boy at Walmart. I started laughing and Will said I am glad you think it is funny. I feel sorry for her. ha ha ha Oh yeah Marian will be going in 4th grade.

Jose- He keeps this family very entertained and I know everyone will agree with that. Everytime I come home from work I am greeted with "hey gorgeous". It cracks me up. He is one of those kids that will say the funniest things and you don't know where he gets it from. I could tell you a long list of stories. Well I am sure everyone knows what he wants to be when he grows up..... Firefighter! Firefighter! If we ever hear firetrucks going down the road we have to tell him to get back in the house. Because he will run down the street and try to follow them. I am sure the Lehi Fire Fighters are getting to know him and look for him. I can't believe my baby is going to be in 2nd grade. He is for sure a mommas boy.

Then there is the sexiest Fireman ever. He is loving his job every minute. They are going to move them as of July 1st to 48 hour shifts. That will take some getting use to. He has several part time jobs that also deal with fire fighting etc. He really works hard for this family. And is the best Husband and Father that we could ask for. He is now a certified Crossfit trainer. He has all the guys on his crew now doing Crossfit. Its nice because if we can't get to the gym he can spot me here at home. My own personal trainer. ;) For fathers day I got one of my friends son to come in and graffiti the Crossfit pukey clown on his weight room wall. He loved it!! He wants to knock down walls to make his room bigger so Mike can come in and paint some more. lol

As far as me I am now working at the Utah Fire Academy. I am loving my job. I have the greatest people to work with. I am learning so much and it is helping me become familiar more with Wills job and what he does. I am also going to Crossfit pretty much everyday. I have lost 16 pounds and have gained lots of muscle. And you can even see it. hee hee Never in a million years did I think I would see muscles on me. We are doing lots of hiking together as a family. And Will and I try to go on dates every weekend we can. I love this family and could not ask for a better one.

2009-06-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to setting up this blog. (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) I am very excited to put this together and share the happenings in the Mackintosh Family. Kids are growing so much. And my oldest is taller then Will and I. Will and I are doing very good and have lots of plans for our future. As soon as I can get this up and going I will fill everyone in. Woohoo!!