run. run. run.

I have been a runner most of my life. I was a sprinter as a kid. Now I run longer distances. I've watched the Olympics the past couple weeks. (Religiously watched the Olympics. I've turned in to a total couch potato!) I'm amazed by the talents and abilities of the world's best runners. I so appreciate and admire their speed! (And possibly covet it just a bit.)
I've developed a bit of a crush. Allyson Felix is about the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life! And she runs like a superstar; the same events I used to run (100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100 and 4x400).

Although we're not exactly world class athletes we still enjoy running and racing. Ten members of the Baum crew ran the Pioneer Day 5k; eleven including Em's dad, Dan. We had a ball! And we ran pretty well! Six of us got medals. Pretty impressive.
We're planning to make it a tradition. We're already in training for next year...we plan to claim all the medals. haha!

from l to r: Dan Bingham (Em's dad), me, Tana, Katie & Jason, Donny & Em, Kennedy, Dad, Elle & BJ

Tana and Kenne were 1st and 2nd in their age group. Yay, girls!!

birthday girls

We celebrated two birthdays in Utah.

Ashton turned SIX!

And Tatum turned TEN!

These girls are so sweet! They are incredibly different not only in looks but also their attitudes and personalities.
Tatum is blue-eyed. Ashton is brown-eyed.

Tatum is 100% Baum. Ashton is 100% Rogers.

Tatum is quiet in public. She doesn't want attention in any way. Ashton loves attention, from family and strangers alike.

Tatum never stops moving. Not in a hyperactive way. It's just like she doesn't have time enough to do everything she'd like. Ashton would be content being carried, pushed or pulled everywhere we go. Forever! 

Tatum hates to feel like people are laughing at her. Ashton strives to make people laugh at her.

Tatum's birth was a cinch. I recovered almost immediately. She was a teeny, tiny baby and cute as can be. She was bothered by an intensely upset tummy for months. She was content only if she was being held. But even while held you could count on her screaming every night from about 5-9pm. She'd cry. I'd cry. It broke my heart. I've never felt so completely helpless in my life. Despite those crazy nights I think the hardest of all was that she literally screamed bloody murder every single time we went in the car until she was one year old. The day we moved her to a forward-facing car seat the crying stopped. Just like that.

Ashton's birth was incredibly painful. I was induced (I was always induced). The pitocin was coursing through my veins. My contractions were raging. And I couldn't have an epidural. If you think black NBA players sweat heavily you obviously didn't see me in labor and delivery on the morning of 7.18.06. The air temperature in our room was 58 degrees and I was still pouring sweat. Poor Dust! His lips were blue. He kept going into the hallway to warm up. Thankfully Ashton was born pretty quickly. I told Dust I felt like I'd just pushed a flaming watermelon out of my bum. I'm not kidding! That is exactly what it felt like!! Once we got home I got a horrible case of thrush. My chest has never hurt so intensely! Ever. Nursing was completely horrifying. Beyond painful! Dust thought I had postpartum depression because I was so weepy. My chest was on fire...with or without her attached. It was awful. Thank heavens Ashton was pretty much a perfect baby! She was so easy. She was always happy!

As hard as those first days were their determined little personalities just bound me closer to them. I am theirs forever. Completely, hopelessly, utterly devoted to them and absolutely honoured to be their mama.

Happy birthday to my little babes!

chugga chugga choo choo

Prior to this trip not one member of the Baum family had traveled by train. That is no longer the case.
Dad decided it would be a grand adventure to ride the train from Provo to Helper. We all agreed this would be a fun activity.
We were a bit surprised to learn that the train leaves the Provo station only once a day...at 4:30am. It was early. Not bright and early. Just early.
Train travel is so unlike airplane travel. There is no need to arrive early. There is no baggage check. No security clearance. You literally hand your ticket to the conductor, board the train, and take your seat. I must say the seating is incredible! The seats actually recline more than two inches and there is a ton of leg room! Donny (6'5") had just returned from Budapest, Hungary a few days prior to our train ride. He was totally bummed that his airplane trip wasn't as spacious as his train trip. Too bad you can't take the train to Europe!
The kids were pumped our whole ride! They loved every minute of it! (I slept a good portion of the less than two hour trip but still loved every minute!)

We arrived in Helper by 7am. We loaded into the cars that Mom, Dad, Jason and Ellery had left in Helper the day before and headed to breakfast at JB's.
We were back in Provo by 10am. We were all a bit on the tired side but excited about the fact that we could check train travel off our bucket list.
Good job, Dad!!

the backyardigans

My parents have a dreamy backyard! It is seriously perfect!! They have two decks, a patio, a playhouse, a playground, a fire pit, a hammock, an enormous lawn with an incredible hillside, amazing views, a sports court, and constant visitors...mainly deer, quail, and neighbor kids (mostly groups of young teenage boys. haha!)
Over the past three weeks we enjoyed numerous BBQs. The slip n slide down the back hill is always a hit! The grandkids camped in the backyard a couple times. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. The kids threw balls of tin foil hoping to attract bats. We chatted as the stars brightened around us without the mugginess and bugs of Florida summer nights.
Oh how we love Utah summers!

mountain [wo]man

I LOVE the mountains! Love them!! When we're in Utah I love spending as much time as possible in the beautiful Rockies. My perfect combination=mountain time+family time.
We just returned from a three week trip to Utah. It was fabulous! The Baum kids are scattered all across North America (Yorba Linda, CA; Helena, MT; Destin, FL; and St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada). As luck would have it we were all home at the same time (not so much luck as careful planning). There were as many as 18 Baums at home at the same time. Home as in all under Mom & Dad's roof. It was crazy but awesome!

The girls and I arrived in Provo late July 16th. First thing July 17th we hiked the Y (as in Y Mountain above BYU). It's a steep hike but the view at the top is fabulous!

I toted the youngest Baum grandchild. My baby sister's daughter, Ellie.

Dust surprised the girls and I by showing up in Provo on the 25th. We were ecstatic when we saw his cute face!!

The morning after Dust arrived we hiked Stewart Falls. It's a tough hike too, especially for all of us sea-level dwellers, but it's absolutely beautiful!!



My heart will forever be at home in the mountains. I love their magnificence and feel so close to my Heavenly Father when I'm enjoying their beauty. I'm definitely raising four beach babes but I hope my girls will always look forward to the time they're able to spend in the mountains.

pay day

Ashton has been my most devoted running buddy this summer. I run, she rides her bike. She talks the entire time (the entire time). It's awesome!
Yesterday we did our longest run together--4.75miles. That's quite a distance for Bug's little legs. It was blazing hot too. We were very sweaty and pink-cheeked when we got home.
While we were out she said, "Mom, I love you. You're my best friend." Ohh, be still my soul! Those words just might be the sweetest words ever said! Ever!!
My little Ashton is growing up...but to me she'll always be my baby Bug.

mother, may i?

I'm a selfish person. I'm pretty sure I always have been. I know I was as a teenager. (My siblings and parents will wholeheartedly agree with that statement!)
It's incredible how motherhood changes that. As much as I have always wanted success for myself it doesn't begin to compare with the desires for success I have for my girls.
I want them to work hard in school, to love learning, to thrive in their middle school and high school classes thereby guaranteeing acceptance to BYU, to dedicate themselves to their schoolwork within their chosen major, to meet and marry a fabulous return missionary, to marry in the temple, to graduate, to work for a while if they so decide, and ultimately to have beautiful babies and be blissfully happy in their role as a wife and mother.

Yesterday as a friend and I discussed our children, our hopes and dreams for their futures, and our worries about possible scenarios that will sidetrack or even derail their future plans I was struck with the realization, once again, that I am not in charge of their futures. I can provide my girls with a wonderful home life filled with love, faith, education, and possibility. But beyond that, they have their agency. They are in charge of their destinies.

My life didn't necessarily turn out as I thought it would. My entire childhood and adolescense I wanted to be a dentist. I was sure that was the career for me. Imagine my surprise my freshman year at BYU, as a Chem 105 student, upon discovering I hated chemistry. It was not a subject I found remotely interesting. The thought of years and years of chemistry made me woozy. My desire for dentistry quickly faded. That coupled with my falling madly in love with Dust drastically altered my decision to change majors from Zoology/Pre-Dent to Family Life.
By the time I was 21 I'd completed three years at BYU. I'd been married for two and a half years, I was pregnant with Montana, and we were getting ready to move to Destin--2,000 miles from home. I was not going to graduate prior to leaving Provo despite the fact that I took my last finals 9 months pregnant, threatening to either pop or go into labor any minute.

I didn't necessarily stick to my original plans. But do you know what??? I wouldn't change a thing. I have been incredibly blessed! I have an amazing husband who has devoted himself to me wholeheartedly. He never has a cross word for me. Ever! He is incredibly supportive and encouraging. He works hard every day to support our family. He makes me laugh and I absolutely love that about him. I feel like we've hit the motherload with our girls. They've each been the perfect addition to our family. They are sweet, and kind, and good. Like Mary Poppins would say they're "practically perfect in every way"!!!

As important as my girls' education is to me, and I hope to them, I want them to realize the joy of being a wife and mother. I hope they'll love those roles as much as I do. I love being a wife! I love being a mom! No one can replace me in my role as a wife or mother. In an office I am replaceable the second I walk out the door. Not here. Here I am everything. And my family....they're everything to me!