Bupa Great North Run

When we first found out that we would be moving to Newcastle, England, one of the first things Sean did was google the city to read up about where we would be living. One of the things he read about was the Bupa Great North Run--the world's largest half marathon, which starts right in Newcastle. As soon as he read this, he knew he wanted to do it. Back in February he applied for the lottery to get into the race (last year there were over 100,000 applicants and only half were accepted). Luckily, he got in!

This past Sunday was race day and Beckham and I went down with Sean to see him off at the start. It was CRAZY with all of the people!

The start line

Before the race

Right before the race started some of the Royal Air Force fighter jets flew overhead.

The wheelchair racers were the first to start, then the elite women, and finally the elite men followed by the masses of 54,000 people! Even though Sean was in the 3rd of 11 start groups (and I wasn't very far down from the start line), it took TEN MINUTES for him to pass me after the gun went off for the main group!

Here come the masses!!!

Hangin' out waiting for daddy to pass

As soon as Sean passed us, Beckham and I hurried home to grab some lunch, then got right back on the metro to meet Sean at the finish line in South Shields on the coast. Luckily we got a seat, because the train was PACKED for the entire 40 minutes it took us to get there.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to the finish quick enough to see Sean cross the line, but we met up with him shortly after to congratulate him on a great run! (He took 5768th place--not bad considering there were 54,000 runners!)

After the race

While we were hanging out at the finish, more fighter jets put on a little air show, which was fun to watch!

It ended up being a long, crazy day, but it was definitely a fun one!!! Good job Sean!!!

These last 2 are just because Beckham is cute :)

A Good Day!

Today is a good day. Why? Because today is my parents' 34th anniversary. It's also my new sister-in-law's 21st birthday. But best of all? Exactly one year ago today is the day we found out we were going to have this little guy...

...and we couldn't love him more!!!

3 Months

As of this past Sunday, Master Beckham is now 3 months old. Here are a few of my favorite pics from lately...

Love this little guy!!!

Beckham's Blessing

On July 2nd, in between all the festivities to celebrate Sean's birthday, we gathered with both of our families and Beckham was blessed by his daddy, along with his grandpas, a couple of his great-grandpas, and most of his uncles. Beckham's cousin Skyley (Sean's sister's daughter), who was born 10 days after him, was also blessed that day. It was fun to have the 2 little ones blessed on the same day.

The cousins after their blessings...

Posing for the camera...

4th of July Weekend

This year we had a pretty eventful and fun 4th of July weekend, and it was nice to be back in the States to celebrate with family and friends. Saturday the 2nd was Sean's birthday and we got up bright and early to go watch the hot air balloons launch down in Provo. It's something we've done for the past few years and it's always fun to see.

Beckham waiting for all the fun to start...

Apparently this Coke balloon is the tallest hot air balloon in the world...

After balloons, we went to breakfast to celebrate Sean's birthday. Later that afternoon we blessed Beckham (another post to follow) with both of our families, followed by more eating to finish off Sean's big day.

Monday, the 4th was spent with more family, more eating, and fireworks to finish off.

Beckham excited for his first 4th...

Bamburgh and the Holy Island

The day after our adventures in Alnwick, we decided to head up and see the Bamburgh Castle. It's one of the largest inhabited castles in the country and sits right on the Northumberland coastline. Sean had fun running around getting pictures of the castle from all angles, and he definitely got some good ones!

Here are a few shots from outside the castle walls...

Some shots from inside the grounds...

The beach on the east side of the castle...

After we were done at the Bamburgh Castle we drove a few miles into Seahouses where we got the most delicious fish and chips we've ever had! It's definitely a place I'll want to go back to. Once we filled our bellies, we headed further up the coast to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. You can only drive to and from the island when the tide is low because the road gets covered with water during high tide.

The Lindisfarne Castle...

The old Priory...