Triathlon weekend

Last weekend we had 4 Cramers compete in the Daybreak Triathlon - Kraig, his two brothers Kent and Klaron, and Klaron's wife Amy. I am kind of chicken to do the half mile swim in the lake again (did it 4 years ago) but....I am planning to make myself just get over it and do it again next June. Kraig is trying to recruit even more of his bros to do a St. George one in about 9 months, and I can't just stand by and watch this time. This is gonna be too exciting to do as a family.

So anyway, they all came to stay for a few days and we had a really good time! We went on a walk up Little Cottonwood Canyon and visited the quarry where the rock used to make the Salt Lake temple was excavated.

This is her latest trick - climbing on anything she can.



The colors were beautiful up there - I love this time of year in Utah.


As we were driving back we hit a HUGE rainstorm. I took of this picture a few minutes before it started pouring.

This is when Mikayla and I were waiting at the finish line for everyone. She got a little ancy....ansy....(anyone know how to spell that word?)



Here's Kraig running in to the finishline.




Amy, Klaron, Kent, and Kraig at the finish line.


We all had a good time together! Especially Mikayla and Teagan (Klaron and Amy's boy)- they LOVED playing together and interacting. They just clicked. They would look at each other and smile, then one of them would crawl or walk away, and the other would follow. My favorite was when I got them to push each other on Mikayla's bike.



The last day Amy and Klaron were here, we went to 'This is the Place' Heritage Park and learned a few things about how this state began. There was lots more to do and see than we anticipated.




Thanks for coming you guys - looking forward to St. George!

Teddy Bear Picnic

I had to throw a little party for my Kayla bear turning 1...of course, as people say, the first birthday party is more for the parents than the kid who has no clue what's even going on. I had fun with the theme and decorations and the cakes. I was so busy playing hostess, though, that I didn't take many pictures of the decorations...so you'll have to use your imaginations. I hid large teddy bears around our yard - in the bushes, in the tree, on the ground, and had some picnic blankets and benches for our guests. I tied clusters of helium balloons to a couple of picnic baskets and to the benches, had a few miniature teddy bears sitting around miniature dishes near the entrance, and had a table set up with a huge Winnie-the-Pooh and little jars of honey around him (from our beehive) for the guests to take as a party favor. I don't think that many people actually paid much attention to the decorations, but oh well I had fun doing it. We played the Teddy Bear Picnic song and just had snacks, opened presents, and then of course had her attack a cake. Here are a few pictures of the cakes:

This is the one I made for everyone to eat.


This is the one I made for her to attack.


She took a little while getting into it, but she really had a good time.







Our little baby is growing up too fast.

Family Photo Shoot

As you can see, we finally got our family pictures done. I think this was the second time I rescheduled them and even then it was a stretch to get us all ready and keep Mikayla and myself happy despite the stressful day we had. I love this style of photography - not as posey, kinda artsy, candid moments caught in time...
Here are a few more of our favorites.

Mikayla's 1st b-day!

I know I just posted, but I have to post this video of Mikayla walking on her birthday.


We also let her attack a cupcake. She was tired and cranky and only smeared the frosting in her hair because she was fed up. She wouldn't even try eating it, and when I put some frosting in her mouth she gagged! I guess I won't have to worry about this one having a sweet tooth....for now, anyway.

A great week!

I've had a wonderful week for four main reasons! #1) last Sunday Mikayla took her first steps. We were so excited. She has continued to get better and more confident, and now will just start walking on her own. I'll post a video of her walking tomorrow, on her 1st birthday!

#2) on Wednesday I got to visit my wonderful friends the Thiriots. It's been way too long since I've seen many of 'em, and it was so fun to see them again.



#3) On Thursday it was mine and Kraig's 4th wedding anniversary, and he surprised me. We dropped off Mikayla at Chris and Lynsey's (thanks so much - you guys rock and you know who to call when you need to get away). Well I was a typical mom and nervous about leaving her overnight, but it all turned out great! So then we drove down to Manti (where we were married) and stayed at this beautiful, quaint little bed and breakfast called the "Yardley Inn and Spa" where we got pampered.



This was our room, called "Moonlight Roses" and this cool skylight was above the bed.



This is the dining room where we ate a fabulous breakfast.


This is the waiting room for the spa.



This is the outside of the inn with the owner saying goodbye to us.


It was just the perfect place to stay! I just love quaint little historical places like that - they're so unique and so friendly. After we checked out we went to the Manti temple and that was awesome.

#4) We finally started building our fence to make our yard more private and safer for Mikayla, especially now that she is walking. Here's the old fence:


And here's the new.

I feel very blessed and very happy. Life is good....and I am thankful for all of you to share it with, even if it's only over the internet.

Belly Laughs

I love the sound of a baby laughing. I especially love to hear the delight and happiness found in my own child's giggle. It's contagious, and absolutely beautiful. I know that all parents feel this way towards their kids. It's hard work to be a parent....these kinds of things are the little rewards along the way.


"A giggle is a smile that bursts" -Mary H. Waldrip

"If every word I said could make you laugh, I'd talk forever" -Anonymous

"How to Keep Your Mom or Dad Busy" by Mikayla Cramer

"First, start out with finding your mommy's important books and crinkling or tearing the pages. It sounds and feels pretty cool."




"Then you gotta find some sand or dirt to play in. It feels great in the mouth, and if your mom tries to get it out, just bite down. Then she'll let you chew on it. Also if there's other babies around, it's interesting to poke their faces, but watch out because sometimes they might cry....I have no idea why..."




"It's pretty important to tear to shreds any paper or toilet paper you can find. It tastes pretty good, too....if you start to gag on it, just throw up, and you can get back to work."




"Make sure you stand up at every chance you get. You gotta practice so you can walk soon and get into even more stuff!"




"Finish off the day with a good wrestle and romp around the living room. Climb on your parents. If they're not around, a teddy bear works pretty good too."




"It's hard work being a baby, but somebody's gotta do it."