4th of July...well, really the 3rd

We are still playing catch up from the last few months, so today we'd like to tell you about our 4th of July weekend. It was definitely a memorable one! We started off the day REALLY early because Mike was running his FIRST half-marathon! Christina's sister, Jana roped him into joining her because she somehow double signed up. So with just under 3 weeks to prepare to run 13.1 miles Mike started training and running practically every night after work. He use to do cross country in high school, and he always wanted to do a half marathon sometime in his life, so he worked hard and accomplished his goal! They had to be up at the top of Immigration Canyon ready to run by 7:00 so they left early. Kyle, Cheri, Christina, and Carter woke up early to "beat the traffic" which fortunately there wasn't really any. So we got great seats to cheer them on after their first 6 miles.

The crazy 3

After a few hugs, encouragement, and some water, the crazy 3 started their way up through the This is the Place park. We weren't sure where the next meeting point was so it took some driving, but we found them just in time. Carter hated to see his dad keep leaving, but he was good encouragement for him. The finish line was at the capitol so after some more hugs, encouragement, and water we headed to join the crowd to cheer them on. They were over half way done when we saw them so we had to book it over and walk quickly to catch them crossing the finish line. The girls were just slightly ahead of Mike since this was their 3rd or 4th half marathon, but Mike finished with a great time! Just under 2 hrs and 30 minutes!!





We couldn't have been more proud of him and Jana! They did an amazing job! Carter was happy to see them done and he tried to help dad "push down the tree". He also gave the sweetest kisses to welcome them across the finish line.

The crazy 3 after finishing!

Since we were all starving we headed to Sweet Tomatoes to gorge ourselves on the delicious food. Carter finally crashed after all the excitement, running, and playing in the sun so we enjoyed a pretty peaceful meal. :) Afterward Mike went home to recoup for a bit until the night festivities started. We lit off some bottle rockets while we waited and Carter loved them and learned how to plug his ears.
We had a pretty busy night planned because not only was it the day to watch a sweet firework show, but it was also Mike's brother Andy's 21st birthday! Andy wanted the full 4th of July experience of eating KFC in the Sugarhouse Park and watching fireworks. None of us have done that for years, and it turned out to be awesome! The food was delicious and the fireworks were amazing! Carter loved every second of it, and it was so much fun to be the fam!
After the firework show we decided to let the crowd start to disperse while Andy opened his birthday presents in the dark. :) It was pretty funny to do it by flashlight, but he got some great things to prepare him for his mission...long ties and tie pins. And of course he also got a few yearly staples...chocolate and fireworks. :) Andy is so awesome and we'll miss him tremendously while he is gone for two years, but he is ready and we know that he'll be an amazing missionary. He is already such a great example to everyone he is around. Happy belated birthday bro! ;-)