On your marks, get set, SWIM!

This year summer swim seemed to pass by so fast! Between the boys and Sage missing practices due to Scout/Activity Day camps and being away in UT for 2 1/2 weeks, not to mention all the cancelled practices due to an abnormal amount of rain/lightening storms we'd be lucky to say we attend half the practices! Regardless I love the workout they get going each morning and spending a morning alongside the pool isn't a bad way to start my day! Although everyone improved their times which is all we hope for each season, Sage did choose not to participate in Championships which I was actually relieved because it's about an hour away and this year she would have needed to be there most of Saturday while the boys competed on Friday. For selfish reasons I was dreading sitting through hours of a meet to watch her literally swim for three minutes... She was a bit nervous too since she had missed so many practices so it all worked out for her to ditch! I didn't get many photos this season but here are a few...

Nothing like a beautiful morning practice!



Sage swimming back stroke in a meet and her getting ready to dive off the block!



The boys with Gavin at the end of a meet at Four Bridges...



Ty and Maria scoring first place in a race at the fun end of season party!



Championships at Miami University with the Habra boys!



End of season award ceremony. Ty managed to score the most spirited swimmer for boys in his age group...are we surprised?!? lol!



One thing you are guaranteed to score by the end of Water Mocs season is a nice tan! Looking good Roddy kids!!!

Summer in Utah!

Once again we took our annual summer trip out to Utah and once again we had a great time and wished we could have spent more time there! Ohio had a terribly rainy summer so we were grateful to escape to dryer weather!!!

The trip began with me dropping the boys off at BYU to attend basketball camp with their buddy Wyatt! They had a great time and Marilee was kind enough on most nights after camp to take them up to their cabin to spend the night. Even though they only see each other every summer it's as if no time has passed. The week after basketball camp it was on to a speed and strength camp. As you can see they managed to come up with coordinating shirts one morning for this camp! I had to laugh out loud when Marilee sent me this photo she had snapped of them!



It wouldn't be a complete visit for Jack without a trip to the BYU bookstore! It was literally the first place we went to once he arrived into town!



It's always nice being on campus and looking up at the beautiful mountain range and seeing the 'Y' but we were also reminded that it had been a couple years since we had hiked the 'Y' and the last time we did Sage was on Jack's shoulders the whole way up so we decided that since the boys were busy with their friend Wyatt it was the perfect night to have Sage experience it the right way...on her own feet! She was quite the trooper and as the sun set the temps dropped and made for one perfect evening hike!



Floating down the Provo River was also something we hadn't done in a while in fact the last time we did we were in a big raft because Sage was too little and Grandma and Grandpa had joined us and there was no way Grandma was going to float down on some little tube! We decided this would be a perfect activity on a hot day so once Gary and Kelly arrived into town we decided to do it! It was quite the experience. It's a pretty lazy river but there are a couple spots where the current can take you and it's easy to get pulled to the side where branches and bushes are poking out! Aside from Gary losing his Oakleys and gauging his eye while attempting to save Preston from hitting some branches it was a success! lol! The kids really loved swinging from the rope swing after and Ty learned what it feels like to swim in fresh mountain water...COLD! I don't think he'll complain about the pool temp at swim practice anymore!!!



The Fourth of July festivities always include good food, Kan Jam tournaments, crazy videos on Sean's phone...lol...and of course celebrating Grandpas' birthday!!! Grandma and Grandpa are always such great hosts! Thankfully Sean and Paul live nearby so we get to see a lot of them too. Sadly we missed Steve who was too busy with work to make it up from San Jose!



Jack was excited to get some use from this trailer trash shirt he had gotten on a guys trip a couple months ago. It probably is the tackiest shirt I've ever seen but he is so proud of it. Him and all his buddy's were all texting one another throughout the day photos of them all wearing these awful shirts at their different 4th of July parties. Mark my words one day it will never make it out of the dryer. lol!



America indeed celebrated when Grandpa was born and lucky for him continues to do so each year in honor of his birthday!!! :) We love you Grandpa!!!



I will never get comfortable with the kids lighting off fireworks but the boys sure thought they were pretty cool setting everything off while Jack and I and everyone else relaxed and watched. Sage even got to set off some of the big stuff...We all had to laugh when some random people pulled up in their car to watch our show! They were quite impressed. Of course these photos don't do it justice.




On Sunday morning we all drove down to Lemington to visit the gravesite of Brandon and Brooklyn. It was a tender time and I'm so glad we made the trip.



On the drive back we stopped in Springville to drive by Jack and I's first place. Wow, the "hood" has sure changed but how wonderful it is to see how far we've come. We both started with nothing and everything we've established has been on our own. We have been blessed and it was important for us to show the kids where it all began and the impact good choices, hard work, and desire play in your future.



Once again this summer we got to go and cheer Paul's softball team on in their championship game. Of course they won...they always do! They've played together for years and seem to have a lot of fun playing together! Well done Paul!!!



Before Jack had to head back to Ohio we made a couple trips up the canyon to some of our favorite places...



I feel so lucky to have such great brothers who are such great uncles to our children. Thank Paul and Sean for always taking the time to hang out when we are in town!



After a busy couple weeks of sports camps for the boys I wanted to take them to do something fun so after hearing all the positive reviews about the newly opened zip lines at Sundance I thought that would be the perfect activity. A day earlier I had done the chairlift with Heather, Mackenzie and Sage (will post separately about that) to the top where they start the zip line and knew the boys would love it! It was so much fun and definitely the most scenic zip lines we have ever done. What makes these lines unique is that you are able to stop your self mid way through a line to just dangle, take a photo or just enjoy the view. Being the lines are quite long it was pretty cool! We brought Wyatt along with us which made it nice because everyone always had someone to go down the mountain with!



Unfortunately Sage was just a year shy of being able to do it but Grandma and Grandpa were happy to spend the morning taking the chairlift to the top with her so they could watch us zip down.



After a wonderful morning Marilee and I decided to take the kids to the Olympic Park in Park City for the afternoon! We had only ever done the Park City resort slides/coaster so this was new for us. Everyone had a blast and Sage especially was thrilled to participate since she had missed out on the zip lining earlier!!!



Once again Grandma and Grandpa were fantastic hosts! Everyone always hates saying goodbye when it's time to leave but thankfully this time we knew the next time we'd see each other would be at Christmas when everyone comes to our place! Until then...