I can do hard things

This was our family motto for this year. When we adopted this theme it was more a statement of encouragement and in the spirit of nurturing an attitude of fortitude and hardiness, instead of...oh, say, wimpiness and crumbling under pressure. Whether it be social pressure, pressure for Kevin at work, small every day pressures that could lend itself to feeling depressed, you get the idea. Looking back though, I think we did accomplish some big things. Kevin was apart from us for two months while he did away rotations at UVA and MUSC. We learned a lot about our family during that time! Kevin went through the whole interview process and that was strenuous too but, again, he learned a lot in a short amount of time. Jillian was no exception! She overcame the feat of potty training like a champ! We're so proud of her. We never thought so much of our conversation would revolve around bodily functions but we're proud of her. Go Jill!  

  

Clearly...

The last time we took a picture on this bench at the Butterfly garden we hadn't met Peter yet. I think he was born about 3 months later. 

...I can't get enough of taking pictures of Peter on swings. He's gotten very adventurous when he plays and is such an explorer! He NEVER stops moving all day long. Recently I fell asleep with him in my bed at night, a first since he has been such a squirmy baby, and he literally rolled and readjusted his position every five minutes. He doesn't even stop in his sleep! 

J and A were cracking me up one day at the park. SO EXPRESSIVE! They were half jibber-jabbing and half talking in words that were recognizable to us. 

Half-marathoners!

Without further ado...I'm catching up the blog and then I'll post some pictures from Europa. 

I'm finally ready to blog about the race some (wonderful) friends and I did at the beginning of April. I was a little disappointed with my time, which is a big deal for me because, as some of you may know, I don't have a competitive streak in my body. Not even against myself. I hadn't really set any concrete goals as far as finishing times go before this race. I've always liked to be active but this race was different because I really pushed myself hard in training and it felt so great to reach the physical goals I set for myself. A friend set up a blog for us to record what we were doing in our individual workouts, if we wanted to, and then we ran the long runs together on the weekends. I would encourage anyone and everyone to do this with friends who are at about your same pace. The girls I did it with were a bit faster than me and it turned out to be a fantastic fit. The blog kept us accountable and I found myself pushing to reach a new time even with each short run. As I said, this is totally not me usually but it was fun to find that if you train hard enough you really can get faster. I have always fallen into the rut that "I'm slow. I was born slow and I'll die slow." Which is probably partly true:) because those Powers genes are sure slow and methodical, however thorough we may be:) (I swear I drove the nurses I worked with nuts because I was so slow but, hey, why rush if you're going to just sit around after you're done anyway?) Anyway, although I missed my goal by a bit, I think it's a step in the right direction. I've got somewhere to go from here and I learned a lot about myself training for this race. I improved my time quite a bit AND it was fun!! and I'm going to miss these fabulous running companions and friends!

Emily, Amy, Mindy, Angela, Me, and Holly

This man dressed up like a penny was surprisingly speedy!

Feeling great right at the beginning

I always look like I'm walking in photos but I was running!

I thought this was a pretty funny picture of Amy and Chad.

The supportive hubbies and kids who helped us train

I kept saying "Don't worry. I don't feel a thing." Then I realized I was supporting a lot less of the pyramid than Angela:)

Successful in the end

Such a happy little camper

A serious interchange between Asher, Ruby and Jillian    

p.s. I almost forgot to mention that Springfield, IL is an awesome place. Definitely worth the two hour drive from St. Louis. Going to the Lincoln museum was so inspiring. I feel like such a bum when I  see/hear stories of people who were SO courageous and gave their all for equality. Before visiting the museum I had heard mixed reviews about whether or not President Lincoln was against slavery. I learned that he was and that he was SO brave in his decision, which he made on his own, to make the Emancipation Proclamation. His own life was certainly peppered with sorrow with the loss of his son (he might have lost more than one but I can't remember) and the difficulty his wife had afterwards. Inspiring is the only word I can think of as you walk in the first exhibit that represents his life. There are all these voices shouting why Lincoln is a fool, why he will fail, etc and on and on and on. There were countless political cartoons as well designed to make him look like such a buffoon. He was up against so much and even though he faced so much unpopularity he did so much for the nation and the future of its people, at a very personal expense to himself. As you walk by the representation of his funeral procession there is definitely a sacred feeling, for Lincoln who gave so much, and all the lives lost in the American Civil War.

An unfortunate turn of events?

The day after the trip to Nauvoo we got a call on Sunday afternoon. My Grandma Powers and Aunt Maribeth were stranded in our airport due to some confusion with dates and their flight. I'm sure they were bummed but we were excited to get their call and to learn they could spend the night! They were gracious guests and I think Jillian especially enjoyed their visit. She had her 90 year-old Great Grandma on the floor doing puzzles and they must have read 30 books together in 12 hours! Jillian still talks about Aunt Maribeff too, who is also especially doting and good with her. Unfortunately we didn't get any photos of them together but we got plenty of Grandma and Jillian and Peter, pretty much priceless!

Grandma is seriously one of the best examples of getting softer with age, which is how I think God intends us to be. I also think we learn from the world around us that it makes sense to get more cynical the more experienced we are and that we have every excuse to just get grumpier as our bodies deteriorate. Grandma is wonderful example of the opposite of all of that! She is so kind and sweet to everyone. She is without guile, is genuinely happy when others succeed and doesn't seem to have a jealous bone in her body. Just during the weekend we spent in Nauvoo we met one woman Grandma introduced to the LDS church, one woman who was a new convert at the time that she was my aunt's roommate in Richmond and a couple where the husband was the missionary who had taught a young girl the gospel at my Grandma's house. The girl later became his wife and they were married in the temple. There are SOOOO many others with whom Grandma has shared her testimony who have come into the church. If I'm not mistaken this even includes her mailman at one point:) I am always amazed at how all inclusive Grandma's embrace can be!

NAUVOO

Are you detecting a theme here? We are REALLY aware of how cool it is that we've lived by so many fun places and are trying to pack them all in! Grandma Jamie, my dad's mom, will be turning 90 in two weeks!!! For her birthday she wanted to visit Nauvoo with all of her seven children. Isn't that sweet? Everyone was planning on coming and almost everyone did. Unfortunately Aunt Linda missed a flight and wasn't able to catch another one because of all the Spring Break travel. She was missed!

Kevin and I crashed the party as the only grandkids that got to come, purely because of our convenient location:) We thoroughly enjoyed the company and one last tour of Nauvoo! It is always a heartwrenching reminder of what was sacrificed by the early Latter-Day Saints so that ourselves and millions of others can have the gospel. We went on a horse-pulled wagon ride that we hadn't done before and that we really enjoyed. It had a spiritual theme and many stories were shared of the heroism and faith of people like Porter Rockwell, Lucy Mack Smith and Dan Jones.

Betty and Michael had booked the Hyrum Smith Historical house for us to stay in and that was neat too. It has been added on to and there was more than enough room for all of us. On Saturday morning I was scheduled to do my 9-mile run for the half marathon training so I got to run around the historic sites with no one around! It was a gorgeous morning and a neat experience to run past the temple and down to the water where the Saints eventually crossed to leave what had become their home, and a thriving city that was, at the time, larger than Chicago!
Kevin also got to go to the Nauvoo temple with my parents and aunts and uncles and Grandma. It is such a beautiful temple and one of my favorites! Uncle Ovala even ran into one of his cousins that he hadn't seen since leaving Samoa! What are the chances?! We're bummed we didn't get photos of everyone, the camera died as I was entertaining myself while we were waiting for Kevin outside the temple! Thanks Grandma for a fun trip and Happy 90th Birthday!

Pioneer Potty Training

John Taylor went back over the river when there was a bounty on his head to get this rocking horse for his little boy.

A statue of Joseph and his brother Hyrum in front of the temple

The stone carving on the temple is so incredible.

Chicago!

If you live where we do, you've got to take at least one trip to this fun, and yes, windy city. Our friends Eric and Katie were so gracious to host us in their apartment with an amazing view. Kevin had to take his Clinical Skills exam, last exam of Medical school!!!!!, on a Tuesday a while ago so we drove up on Sunday night. It worked out perfectly because Eric didn't have class on Monday so we touristed around. They took us to a great hot dog place, Garrett's Popcorn, the Field Musuem, down the Magnificent Mile, to the big Bean, I forget the real name, for a photo op, and, of course, to the American Doll Store for Jillian. We were pooped after doing all that with three little ones in tow! but had a blast. It really is such a fun place and we left feeling like it was one more place we would love to live/experience for at least one year. Thanks to Eric, Katie and especially Blake, who gave up his room for a few nights- we had a blast with you guys!

Even the train ride was novel to this little traveler! But let's be honest, Kevin was having fun too, reminiscing of his days in Poland! I also tried to spice things up by being inept and not figuring out how to open the door so we missed our stop. Opps!

Yeah for friends!

I'm going to ask the obvious- Can you find us?

You know it's a cool city when they have random statues like this for decor:)

Checkin' out this nifty ride at the Garmin store! Too bad, actually good thing 'cause I would have tried to talk Kevin into buying it, I didn't know about the Garmin watch that can track your heart rate, pace, AND mileage while running! Coolest invention ever!

I'll just take this one, thanks!

J LOVED this double jogger doll stroller like our big one