"I will survive!"

A week ago today, Nate did and completed his 1st triathalon. His older sister, Angel and youngest brother, Joey also competed. Along with Nates coworker Amy, & a friend of the family, Matt. The triathalon was held at Yuba Lake. They had to swim a 1/2 mile, bike 13 miles, and run for 3.1 miles. Wow! What athletes!!!! I am so proud of you babe!!

Amy, Joey, Matt, Nate & Angel. Just before the swim in their sexy little swim caps.


Swimming down, now biking & running left.







THE END! (Nate, Amy, Matt, Angel, & Joey)

Our little character

Malakai has a thing for hats! All kinds of hats. Cowboy hats, Sombrero's, Bike helmets, Baseball caps... If it goes on your head, he loves it!


He also has a thing for blankets! Under his crib is a little drawer that I keep all of his blankets it in. He was so excited to find a new discovery. His blanket drawer!!! He climbed under his crib and on top of the drawer full of blankets.

So, lets add cupboards to his list of funny things. Here he is doing who knows what in the bathroom cupboard.

And finally, our child truly will eat anything. From dog food to hot sauce.

Happy or Not so Happy Anniversary!

Yes it's true. Nate and I have survived marraige for 4 years. This year funds were low so, we took a trip to the in-laws cabin. Things were great until day #2. We decided to take Nates anniversary gift (110cc dirt bike) out for a test run and I was going to learn how to ride it. After what seemed like hours of looking for a good spot, we finally found one, geared up, and headed for the top of the mountain.

Once at the top, Nate gets a phone call from a client. Well, while I was trying to figure out who would be calling him, I caught Malakai placing his hands on the tailpipe of the dirt bike (ouch!!!). Of course, it all seemed to move in slow motion. I tried stopping him but it was to late. The damage was done. We turned around and headed back down the mountain. To make matters worse, while almost at the bottom, Boris stops dead in his tracks (Boris and Tasha were chasing after Nate on the dirt bike), turns around, looks at me, and falls to the ground. He was so exhausted he couldn't go any further. So, with a screaming child on the 4 wheeler I tried getting Boris to his feet again and nudged him down the mountain. Now some of you are probably wondering why I didn't just pick him up and put him on the back of the 4 wheeler. Boris weighs close to 120 lbs., picking him up was out of the question! He was so tired he couldn't even jump into the back of the truck (Nate had to lift him).

Now that were home, Malakai's wounds are slowly healing but Boris is even slower at recovering.

Oh! How sweet!

As you can see Malakai loves his doggies. They have so much fun together. He has now learned how to ride Boris. He's attempted to ride Tasha, but she doesn't sit still for long. Can dogs have ADHD? If so, I think she has a very bad case of it!

Family Fun in South Dakota

So, we went to Lake Powell with the Ulrich side. Now it's a vacation with the Tracy side. The whole family spent a week in S. Dakota. Now, your probably asking.... What's in S. Dakota? Well.....

1. Mt. Rushmore

2. Reptile Gardens

3. The Jewel Cave

4. The Roo Ranch

5. Storybook Island

and much, much more.

.

I must say, I was shocked at how much fun we actually had. Malakai was so beat at the end of each day! It was go, go, go, everyday. I think Malakai's favorite part about the trip was the waterslide at our hotel. He wasn't scared to go down that thing at all. He would go with anybody that would take him. I tried a couple of times and nearly drowned the 2 of us cuz of course, I couldn't touch bottom. So, it was left up to Nate and my brother Cory. Cory was always 1st choice, with him being 6 foot and all.

The drive home was quite interesting to say the least. Nate left early with Mark and Vance, so I got to ride home with my mom and aunt Merlynn. Let's just say a 6 hour drive ended up taking us about 8-9 hours due to many "bumps" in the road (I hope Kai doesn't remember this ride home since one of the "bumps" was a fuzzy little squirrel). We had so many hang-ups with very little nerves left to deal with them. I was never so eager and happy to be home!!!

The cousins (some of them)

Most of the family. (missing: gma Tracy, Kevin, Mark's, Val, & Alijah)

Powell, Here we are!

The Kids (human and not so human)

My children...

2 furry

1 with hair

Malakai and the dogs are best buds. Everyday when he wakes up from bedtime and his naps he looks for the dogs. Boris is the protector and Tasha is the play buddy. What a sweet little family we have!

Malakai Turns One!

March 26th was the wonderful day Malakai joined our outlandish family, and one year later he is still here with us. We had great fun at his 3 different birthday parties. Spoiled does not accurately describe the awesome gifts this kid received. He got everything from books to clothes, playyards, and a trip to San Diego!


Luckily we, the parents were able to go along for the ride.

We went to the...

Beach: Kai had so much playing and splashing in the ocean. He definately wasn't afraid of the water. He seemed to really enjoy the sand as well. I guess your born with the concept that sand is made for burying things. He would bury everything he could get his hands on (including his hands).

Zoo: Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!!! What an adventure the zoo was. We felt right at home. The day was hot, long, and fun, but well worth the time.

Aquarium: We go from land creatures to the sea. We were able to see and touch... many species of fish, sea stars, and sea cucumbers. I think Malakai had more fun splashing the water than actually touching the creatures that lived in it. He was wetter than they were!

All in all a first birthday to remember.

Our Boy Is Getting Big!!

Yes it's true, Kai is now 9 months and weighs about 22 pounds. And the height on this kid is astounding (we don't know where he gets it)! As you can see in the picture he comes up to my thighs, now I'm sure some of you are thinking that's not hard to do. But, come on, for 9 months old thats tall. Things in our house are still a little nutty, Kai crawls with the intent to explore every nuke and cranny in the house. Grandma Howard has decided to show our little guy just how much fun it is to climb stairs. He finds it thrilling, but his father and I are not so fond of his new talent, what will she teach him next (how to climb down stairs)? Now he has found the fun of pulling up on things and playing with his "balance" (or lack there of...). Making a mess of the CD's and DVD's is his favorite pastime, and poor Boris is now used as a "horse" more so than ever before. What is this kid going to do next? We can't wait to see.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!!!

This year I had to work, so I asked Santa to come a night early. He agreed graciously and we celebrated Christmas on the Eve. As you can see, Malakai was not fond of Santa at the Howard Christmas Party. I guess I'm doing a better job at teaching him "Stranger Danger" than I thought.

Malakai enjoyed the paper and bows more so than the gifts themselves (of course). I think he was very overwhelmed by all the new surroundings and noises that his new toys made. Even today (the 2nd week in January), he still finds more interest in the decorations in the house than his own toys. One day he'll find the joy in his toys. Anyway, Christmas was fun and we enjoyed being with our family.

We love you guys!!!!

First Snow Day

Kai's 1st Snow Day!

While daddy was shoveling the driveway, I decided to see how Malakai would react to his first snowfall. We bundled up and headed outside to play in the snow! Malakai eyeballed the white stuff with a great big smile. I'm sure he was thinking.... I bet that tastes good. I set him in the snow thinking he would take a large handful and move it to his mouth, but instead he didn't move. He just "froze". He "warmed" up quickly and he was having fun in the snow playing with mommy and daddy!