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September was JAM PACKED. Between summer and August being so busy and looking into September, I knew it was going to be a whirlwind. One of those months when you just have to take everything a day at a time, start with your to-do list and try to check stuff off.

Paul and I got to attend an executive retreat at the Butterfield's cabin in Bear Lake for a night. Boating and getting raspberry shakes was really fun.

We went to the Utah vs. Michigan game, the first college football game of the season. It was a pretty good game and as much as I'm NOT a Ute fan, the energy in their stadium was exciting.

For Labor day weekend (besides celebrating Maverick's birthday) we had a bonfire up the canyon and roasted marshmallows. We went up to Swiss Days in Midway and saw the parade, ate scones and navajo tacos. We also camped up American Fork canyon. The camping was a blast, we had a bunch of friends come join us for the night and we made tin foil dinners, sang songs, took the kids on snipe hunts, and talked around the campfire. Unfortunately the sleeping was a total bust. Maverick basically didn't sleep all night... therefore Paul and I basically didn't sleep. Luckily Caitlin and Nolan turned out to be pretty deep sleepers! In the morning we made breakfast and hiked around a little more. That night we went to the Labor Day Luau at Thanksgiving Point and watched the Polynesian dancers!



September 12th was the Big Cottonwood Canyon Marathon. This is the marathon we had been planning on and (trying to) prepare for a year in advance. After having Maverick I wanted to set a goal for myself to get back into shape. I decided to sign up for the marathon. I recruited Paul, his parents and my dad to join me in the marathon quest. Everyone took the challenge and it was actually an amazing and exciting process training and watching everyone get prepared for the event. Paul's parents were dedicated and followed a strict training regimen. My dad enrolled in a training and running club and became a runner! I'm truly so proud of our parents for getting in shape and training for this race. Paul and I were not quite as able to train as much as we probably should have. Paul is dedicated to working out in the morning and is in shape but didn't not run all too often. I found it's hard to find the time to train with three little kids! Over the summer months once school was out I was able to get a sitter and run three times a week. My longest run I had ever done coming into the marathon was 18 miles. So race day came...
The course was beautiful. 18 miles down Big Cottonwood Canyon then an out and back portion (flat) and then a 2 mile gradual downhill down to the finish line. The weather was nice, not too cold but did get pretty hot by the end. All of us participating (we also have a few extended members of Paul's family and friends competing with us) decided to run our own race. For the first 9 miles I was feeling great, steady and keeping on my desired pace. By about mile 13 I was beat: I had slowed down a lot and the thought of having to double what I had just done was VERY daunting. I pulled myself together, switched my playlist and by mile 15 I was feeling my second wind come on. I felt good through about mile 20 and by then I had reached the out and back portion of the race. I had told myself going into it that I wanted to run through the whole canyon (which I did) and then I would let myself walk during the out and back. Unfortunately I was not prepared for how long this section was. It felt like it went forever and it was hard for me to get through and keep motivated and at a good pace and feeling fresh. My friend Jamie came and met me at about mile 21 and ran with me the rest of the way and I was so glad to have a friendly face and someone to chat with. I ran/walked for the next few miles then ran in the final mile to the finish line. By the last water stop at mile 25 I was feeling SO done with the whole thing and had no will to keep going. I kept telling myself "Just job, doesn't matter how fast you are going, just make it look like you are running and don't stop." My finish line mix was full of Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" and I pounded it out to her singing and finally crossed that finish line. I was completely wiped but felt so satisfied. The feeling of crossing the finish line is unlike any other. I had my own little cheering section bringing me in and my kids had made signs and were ringing bells. It was awesome. I finished at 4:43 I was way slower than my goal time... I had seen my pacer pass at about mile 19.5 and knew that was going to happen but I still have no regrets. I felt like I did the best I could with the training and preparation I had and the stage of life I'm in. I'm very proud of my accomplishment.
I'm also very proud of how everyone else did too! I think it was a harder race than everyone expected. The out and back took the wind out of people's sales a little and it was hot. But everyone did great! Paul completely muscled through like the animal that he is and ended with an amazing time of 3:57. His dad was just a few minutes before him. My dad ended around 4:13. So amazing! Lorraine had a tough race... her knee had been having issues and it eventually gave out into the race. She was able to finish with a half marathon medal. Definitely not saying that I'm ready to do another any time soon but I'm very glad that I did it.









Soccer season is in full swing! Paul has been their coach and the kids are loving it. We are calling it a "confidence building" season for Caitlin because she is pretty much the only scorer on the team. She'll score 5 or 6 goals on average per game. She's getting good and she gets really excited to score. Nolan is definitely less of a ball handler... we'll find him getting in little scuffs off to the side and wanting some side physical action... guess he's more of a linebacker type. The team is really cute though and it's been a fun season.

Paul and I got to take an amazing trip to Europe (separate post) and we were so fortunate to be able to having Lorraine come to stay with the kids while we were gone. They had a wonderful time. I left little gifts for them to open each day while we were gone. I feel like the kids barely noticed we were even away, every time we talked with them they were ready to get back to having fun and always sounded so happy. They loved their time with Grandma! I felt so grateful to be able to be away and not have to worry at all.

And then it was back to bug catching, bike riding and everyday routines for the rest of the month!

The Dicksons: 2015

We got family pictures taken and it was a dream. The kids were so good, the weather was beautiful and the location was idyllic. And I'm super happy with the end product:

Taken Sept. 10, by Heather Telford in Mapleton, Utah.

Maverick's actual birthday was the Saturday over labor day weekend and we had planned to go out of town but plans fell through so we found ourselves in town making plans! We went for a fun RZR ride over the mountains into Midway and went to Swiss Days, we saw the parade and got lunch with some friends. We went to Barnes' cabin for a little bit and they got a little cake for Maverick! It was so adorable. He is so used to having other people have the attention, when he realized we were all singing to him he got so excited! That night we went to Chuckee Cheese and played games and ate pizza... and the kids thought it was the greatest.

Maverick's birthday party we had the following Tuesday night. We invited lots of friends and family and neighbors for a casual dessert night and had a lot of fun. All the kids were playing into the night and Maverick was of course happy as could be. He loved his Hunny pot cake. We all sang him Happy Birthday and then gave him his cake. He wasn't sure at first so we let all the kids dip a finger in and then he got the idea. He had fistfuls of frosting and was loving it. We also served marshmallow honeycomb clusters, teddy bear trail mix, magic cookie bars, bit o' honey, rolos, cookies, lemon bars, and lemonade.

Maverick: one whole year

Maverick:

When I think back to our first few months together, life was filled with chaos and crying. You were a hard newborn... colicky, upset, and trying to find your place in our busy life. I was tired and stressed but through that time I was blessed to know that if I helped you the best I knew how, and loved you and just stayed as patient as I could then we would come out better for it. That blessing was granted in a big way.

You are now my happiest and most good-natured baby. You have a smile for anyone who asks and as long as you feel included and appreciated, you are happy to go along with anything we do! You absolutely love your brother and sister. You want and expect to be included in anything they do and you are so happy to be with them. You have recently become a big fan of Daddy and you love being with him whenever you can. And you are my mama's boy, I'm so proud to say that. All of our long nights together created a special bond that warms my heart.

You like to be on the go and experiencing things. You don't analyze or examine things for very long before moving on but you don't like to do things alone. You are not super vocal, but very expressive. You are stubborn and determined but in different ways than your siblings have been. In some ways you are my most fearless, not because push your limits...but because you have a constant willingness to experience. You never went through stranger danger and you've never shown fear.

You are loved by all... Your beautiful blue eyes, your perfect cheeks, your light fuzzy hair and your adorable big toothy grin make even strangers stop and say hi to you (to which you respond with a smile and a wave). Your easy going attitude and love for adventures make you the perfect addition to our family. You have an innate sweetness that draws people to you. 

You are your own person. You hold several similarities to other members of the family, but all with your own Maverick twist. You are so special to us, we love you Mav Man! This year has gone by way too fast. We can't wait to see you continue to grow!

Maverick: 12 months old

My baby is not such a baby anymore. He's getting so big and developing and he legitimately thinks he's one of the big kids now. He tries to keep up and he is almost always happy and smiley with his sparkly blue eyes. He smiles the biggest when we catch him doing something sneaky. He's so pleasant and fun to be with.

Eats: He's been in full rebellion against baby food. Will absolutely not eat anything from a spoon and will only eat with his hands. He dislikes fruits and veggies and loves carbs. Especially cheeto puffs. He has a total sweet tooth and the one food that he gets impatient for is vanilla ice cream.... he's yelling for the next bite as soon as its left his mouth. He is an incredibly messy eater. We've switched his to whole milk and he's had no problem with it (I was a little worried because we had always used the sensitive formula with his because of his tummy problems in the beginning). He likes it warmed up and drinks 3 bottles a day. He also loves to drink from a straw.  

Sleeps: He goes to bed around 8:30 and still wakes up around 7 for a bottle, then falls back to sleep until about 9. This is subject to his teething schedule which throws everything off. He still sometimes sneaks a cat nap in the morning (just if he is in his car seat) and then takes about a 2 1/2 hour nap in the afternoons. 

Plays: He is SO close to walking on his own. He's such a tease... he could totally walk if he wanted. He will walk pushing things on holding onto fingers but as soon as you let go he freezes and drops down to crawl. He is a pro stander, he can stand up from sitting and stands for a long time. Just won't take steps! He claps his hands and will sometimes play peek-a-boo. He is pretty active but always likes to be playing with someone, especially brother and sister. He LOVES to be outside and he really likes playing with balls. He can throw and catch and seems pretty coordinated. There aren't very many other toys that keep his attention for long. Really nothing keeps his attention for too long. He is still obsessed with the toilet and I always find his splashing in the water or unrolling toilet paper. He also loves playing in the bathtub and will dive under the water and splash around... no fear of water for him.  

Also: He will say "mama" "dada" and "baba" and he says "hi" and waves. He will sometimes say "maa" for more. He has a big toothy grin and will always give a smile. Sometimes with new people he likes to play shy and hides for a second then he smiles. He can get loud and screechy when he gets into something. Also now that school has started I get to have some one on one time with him every other day which I thought he would love... but he cries every time we drop off the kids to school! He's mad he doesn't get to stay! Apparently running errands with mom is nothing compared to the allure of preschool.

Firsts: he got his first haircut from Dad: a little mohawk style. His hair has gotten a lot darker but is still staying at a dark blonde.

Stats from his one year check up (on September 29th)
height: 30.75" (72%) // weight: 22 lbs (58%) // head circumference: 18.75" (85%)