Sundance Showdown

Dan competed in his first ever downhill race, the Sundace Showdown.  It happens every year on Memorial Day.  In years past, Dan has talked about wanting to do it, but this year he actually made it happen! I was very proud of him for registering, and committing to something that had been on his bucket list for a few years!  It's a scary thing to commit to. Downhill trails are no joke, and when you add in the "racing" aspect to it, it's a whole-other beast. 

Dan, unfortunately, had a gnarly wreck on his race run.  He was pretty bummed about it since his practice runs had been flawless.  All I kept praying for was that he would not get hurt, which he wasn't, other than some scraps and bruises!  He did lose his camera. It busted off his helmet when he crashed, and he couldn't find it, even after going back up and searching again after his run.  He'd only used it three times prior to that race too! But a lost camera is much better than a broken collarbone. It's all about perspective, right?! ;)  

Brent (Dan's brother-in-law) also raced.  He also had a wreck, and his chain came off his bike, so he had to fix that mid race.  They both said it was an awesome experience, and it gives them something to look forward to improving for next year's race!

I went up with Sue, Bridgette, and Cheyenne.  I had Elise in my front backpack. She loved the whole experience. She loved waving hi to people. She clapped for the riders as the road by. She was full of giggles when I would pretend to be a horse and "gallop" with her in the backpack. Us girls ended up waiting at the bottom of the lift area while the guys went searching for Dan's camera, and Elise was so happy the entire time. She played with the dandelions, and loved picking the grass and throwing it in the air. 

We ate lunch at Chuck-a-Rama.  The Jensen bunch loves that place, and I can't understand why lol.  It's definitely not my favorite.  I think I paid $20 for some salad, watermelon, rolls, and mashed potatoes...

I love including Elise in all the fun adventures we have that I used to think babies would only ruin.  Silly me! 

Brent, and Dan after their race.  They look pretty fatigued!

Elise picking dandelions, passing time.

Proud of Dan!

Elise is usually the center of attention around Grandma and Grandpa Jensen :)

Dan coming past us on his run

Hitting the jump

Waiting to see daddy fly by us!

Smiling at Chuck-o-Rama

My 1st Mother's Day (as a mom)

My first Mother's day was great. Dan was very thoughtful, and put together a "care package" for me of some of my favorite things; including: chocolate, a taco bell gift card (I have a quesarito addiction), flowers, lotion, a new hat, MTB jersey, and a gold bar necklace that says "Elise" on it. He did good! He also printed off a certificate for Elise to present to me, see below lol. Very cute!! Of course, the best gift is just being able to raise Elise and be her mommy 💗.

Love my new hat and jersey

 After church, we stopped by to visit my mom and family. Elise got to play with her cousin, Kandace, for a little bit. My mom gave me some pretty lily flowers to plant in my garden!

After visiting my family, we stopped by the Jensen's to celebrate with Sue and also to celebrate Whitney's birthday. The siblings all pitched in and got Sue a fire pit, so we roasted smores. It was pretty windy so we didn't spend very much time by the fire, but I'm sure we'll enjoy many more smore filled summer nights! The Jensen's don't really like getting their pictures taken lol, so I don't have any pictures of them, but I did get some with my mom! And of course some of Elise and me 😙.

Elise is 10 months!

Our baby is growing up right before my eyes. So much change happened between months nine to ten! I see less and less of a baby in Elise every single day. It's heartbreaking and exciting all in one. Some of the things I want to remember about Elise right now are: 

• "Stinky toes" I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but this phrase has been something we've said to her since pretty much day one. It started off as a silly saying, but now it's become a game to Elise.  I will start sniffing around and she will lift her leg up towards my nose and wiggle her foot/toes at me. I sniff her toes, crinkle up my brows and say, "eww, stinky toes!!!" in a silly voice, and she busts up laughing. It's adorable.  Now, randomly throughout the day, she just sticks that foot up begging for me to play our game. FYI, her feet can truly get a little stinky.  I don't know what it is, maybe her feet sweat a lot, or maybe it's all her daddy's genetics (hehe) but there is some truth behind that phrase!!!
• She is mobile!!! She started crawling at nine and a half months, and since then she's been a busy body!  She also LOVES to climb on everything and pull herself up to standing position. It's so much fun, but at the same time, I truly miss being able to leave a room and not worry about her getting into trouble. Her crawl started out as a sort of wounded monkey looking manuvere. She would stick one leg up (imagine a bear crawl) and the other leg would be in the standard crawl position, but she would never move it off the ground, she would just drag it along using the bear crawl leg to propel herself forward. Now, she has more of a standard crawl down, but that "wounded monkey" still comes out from time to time!
•  She recognizes so many words and objects now! It's amazing. She pretty much learns a new word (how to recognize it, not speak it) every single day. She will pick out many of her toys by me saying their name like: baby, ducky, book, ball, eggs, puffs, blocks, puppy, glowy, hammer.
• She also knows and can point to your nose, eyes, mouth, ears, and hair.  She still doesn't point to them on herself yet.  She does, however, know where her own belly button is!  
• She can give five, she knows the hand actions to "patty cake", I LOVE it when she "rolls" and "tosses it in the oven." She tosses her hands up in the air. It's too cute. She also knows how to "knock, knock" on a door.  She even makes a fist before she knocks.  
• She is walking along furniture now.  She is best at it in her crib. The railings make it really easy for her.  She also likes to hold on to our couches and walk along them.  She still loves to hold our hands and walk all around the house. 
• She has four teeth. Her two top teeth a huge lol, but I find them adorable. She had two on bottom now as well. 

Here are some pictures of her at 10 months:

She loves bubbles. Grandma and PaPa have a bubble machine.

Lifting up her "stinky toes" for me to smell

Best kisses in the w

orld