Cheryl Edvalson is a long-time family friend who recently was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Her family put together a charity run to help supplement the expensive health care bills. (It is so sad that such life-saving/prolonging measures have to cost so much.)
So naturally, my family did what we could to help out. From what I heard, there were about 350 runners signed up to run/walk the race. There was a great turn out despite the weather. That morning was SOOO cold. There had been a lot of rain in the days before and even later that day, but that morning was dry. However the wind was biting cold. So me and my sisters and these two cuties spent as much time as possible inside a little building by the high school track where the race was held.
Here's Ross running toward the finish line. Since it was more for fun than competitive, Ross took it pretty easy with his run. But he still ended up coming in 4th overall. 
My parents started out volunteering at the check-in station handing out t-shirts and wrist bands. Then after the race started, they walked the route with my brother, his wife and kids. We were a little worried about how they would do since they didn't do much training for race, but they made it back without any problems, but they were definitely sore and tired later that day.
Here's my brother nearing the end of the race.
This is where my sisters and I hung out. After my parents left, we took over for them in the check-in station. It was definitely much warmer in here.
This is how my brother walked most of the route. When my sister-in-law decided to run ahead, Kaylynn didn't like seeing her mommy running away and Marcus ended up carrying her most of the way to keep her happy. What a nice daddy!
Here's a couple more pictures of the cute babies we were trying to keep warm. What a ham!
Leah had a much harder time trying to stay happy in the cold. I think she's a little more like her parents and doesn't handle the cold very well. When we left she was really fussy. I thought it was because she was tired or didn't feel well. But when we got back to the warm house, she was all smiles and happy againThis is such a sad thing for the Edvalson/Peterson families to go through. Cheryl seems to be taking it all in stride and is a great example of "enduring it well." I'm glad we could be there this day to help her family feel our love and support.
Last week her bottom 2 teeth cut through. So she's a bit cranky sometimes. But usually she is more like this... 
When people have asked me lately what our family is up to, my initial thought is "Not much. February has been a pretty boring month." But now that I've thought about it more, February has actually been pretty full for the Leslies.
One for this little cutie (my niece, Kaylynn) who turned 1. 
We also went to a party for another cutie whom we forgot to get a picture of, Ross's nephew William who turned 9.
For dinner, Ross had asked for meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy. I had never made meatballs before. They turned out more like meat lumps, but they tasted great. I think I figured out what I did wrong though, so I'll have to try again and see if I can get them to stay round.
February has been full of milestones for Leah. On Friday she turned 9 months old. At her doctor visit yesterday she weighed in at 15 lbs. 13 oz. and was 27 inches tall. Still on the petite side, but that's not surprising.
She already likes to hold our hands so we can help her walk around. She can also stand on her own for a few seconds if I help her get her balance. She'll probably be walking within the next month or two.
She has started eating foods with her fingers. She has pretty good dexterity and hand-eye coordination already.
She is so full of energy and seems to have a harder time sitting still. I'm not sure what she's so excited about here, but she may have learned this from watching Jimmer play. We have been to a couple BYU basketball games lately, but mostly we've been watching them on TV. 
Last Friday she went to her first BYU volleyball game. I was hoping that she would pay close attention and learn early how the game is played. I don't know how much she actually learned, but I was WAY excited to finally be at a volleyball game. 
She's getting to the stage where she is becoming the entertainment at church. People around us want to talk to her, play with her and hold her. People come up to us all the time to tell us how cute they think she is. I had a sister come up to me on Sunday and say, "You're not allowed to bring your baby to church anymore. She's so cute. All I want to do is watch her play instead of paying attention."
A few other highlights in February included being able to go to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple when my cousin, Carter, and his wife, Jaime, received their endowments and were sealed to their cute little girl. It was such a special experience to be there with my aunt and uncle and all their children and their spouses. I'm so excited for them and all the great things they've done lately.
