Tough Mudder.

My Tough Mudder and my Mudder Brudder had a great time, teaming up for the 2011 Tough Mudder in Squaw last week. They completed in about five hours and will forever have a great memory of the event. Mike and Josh completed their team and I would suspect, we'll see them team up again as soon as this crazy event returns. Tomorrow brings Ryan's first half marathon and in a few weeks, the full. Phew, buddy.

Not busy, BUSY.

Oh, these beautiful children consume my heart and scanning through these pictures fills me with pride. What amazing kids we had and what amazing days these are. But busy, they are! And now that Daddy has been awarded the Green Capital Alliance-University of Phoenix MBA scholarship in Energy Management, we are so proud and prepping for an even busier life. In the meantime, we are preparing for our December Cabo San Lucas trip (see the passport pictures that I found very amusing), enjoying soccer days with Elena and making time for lots of fun with friends and just as a family.

Elena is eager for her Candyland party coming up next month and is receiving an iPod (though she doesn't know it yet, of course) with her Justin Bieber music dowloaded on it...I took her birthday off and will be in her classroom to help that day. The party is the 8th.... And as you can see, Elena hates all things fancy and pretty (not). She is full on diva/drama gal and we couldn't be happier to have her that way. We're just working on how to manage her spunky personality and her (almost) six years of knowledge that likes to dictate everyone's place and role in her life (sigh). I wonder whose kid she is... ;)

Michael is speaking in darn full sentences these days and took charge of his 'after-breakfast' cleanup this morning. He walked to the bathroom, turned on the light and tried to pump soap onto his hands. He needed a little help, but I stress little. He even pats his little hands in the sink before he moves to the towel (to keep them from dripping on the floor).

He marched in our room the other night, holding a blue balloon and circling the bed, waiting for one of us to wake and add him to what has become, our family bed. The kid is so darn cute and proudly now announces himself as "Michael Dohs."

The loves of my life live at 4041 Samuel Way....The proud, the mighty, the "Dohs" family.

A bun, a monk-me and a bum.

Young Michael is full of words, but they aren't all correct. Selflishly, we hate to see the pronunciation begin to improve and relish the days he says, "Bun" for bug; "Bum" for gum; "Monk-me" for monkey; and "Bee-ah (sounds like beer)" for bear.

Elena is knee-deep in soccer this year and seems to love it so much more than she ever did before. I hope it's an ongoing trend, as it would be such a nice sport for her to continue. She also wants to do the El Dorado Theatre Academy soon, so we're keeping our eyes open for the audition date. She's busy with birthday parties and is very excited for her own. Invitations just went out and they are amazing, if I do say so myself. The party plans are almost complete and we are all looking forward to her big day.

Daddy is busy running and running...and running these days. We find him insane, but are awfully proud of the commitment. His first marathon is November 6th, but he has several other races in the coming weeks. We also just received HUGE news that he was awarded a full ride scholarship to University of Phoenix for a MBA in Energy Management (Green Technology). He competed and was chosen for this $30k opportunity. It's going to be a long road (since I need to get my Master's Degree after he does), but we're hoping we can manage it!

And lastly, Mommy got the promotion she's been waiting to receive for a very long time. Last Friday, the 'scream heard 'round the world' rang in our home and my boss/friend, Keri surprised me by assembling 'my people' at the Purple Place to celebrate. She went all out with cake, balloons, a shirt I've been coveting and a huge bar bill she never should have paid. Regardless, I was very touched and I will remember it forever. I am thrilled and scared and grateful.

What a year we've had so far with gifts like we could never have imagined. The biggest gifts, of course, remain the two young Grohs kids.