Night Run

The other night I did not feel like enduring another boring treadmill run so I put the boys in the stroller and I ran around the neighborhood.  Though they were so cute, I will not be doing that again.  It's too scary for me to run in the dark.

Costco Jungle Gym

Yep, sometimes we let our kids climb all over in Costco.

And they love it!

No More Wrestlemania

The other night after Devin came home from wrestling practice he was showing Jaxon some moves.  After they played wrestlemania for a few minutes Jaxon said he didn't want to play anymore because "Daddy smells like pizza."

Devin and I thought it was so funny!  I didn't think Devin smelled like anything, especially pizza, but I guess Jaxon did!

Ribbons & Bows Mischief

When I found this...

...I almost got really upset.  But then I saw that they weren't stuck there.  Thank goodness!

Light Saber

I never imagined I'd need to say these words, but today I had to tell Jaxon, "Don't wipe his boogers with your light saber!" as he swiped Henry under the nose.  Fabulous.

Sweet Potato vs Yams

In light of the Thanksgiving holiday, I thought I would post some interesting information about sweet potatoes and yams.

They are basically the same thing.

"According to the CSPI (Center for Science in the PUblic Interest), the sweet potato ranks #1 in nutrition compared to other vegetables.

"Sweet potatoes were ranked above carrots, spinach, greens, broccoli, peas, corn, tomatoes, and squash.  Scores were assigned to various vegetables by adding up their percent of USRDA for 6 nutrients plus fiber."  --Box of Nature's Pride Sweet Potatoes & Yams

The sweet potato deserves to be on the highest perch because it is a nutritional powerhouse with 4 ounces of cooked pulp supplying 2 grams of protein, 3.4 grams of fiber, 24.6 mg of vitamin C, 28 mg of calcium, 22.6 mcg of folic acid, 20 mg of magnesium, 348 mg of potassium, and a whopping 21,822 I.U. of vitamin A.  The skins, which are completely edible, add even more fiber.

http://bellybytes.com/food/sweet_potatoes

Mommy Haircuts

I don't know what it is about haircuts, but it seems like something that only my mom or Devin's mom know how to do.  I was too intimidated to try it, for fear of failure.  I don't know why.  It's not that hard.

But, I was tired of having the kids with the crazy, long, never-combed hair.  So, I used the clippers and did their haircuts myself!  Now I feel like I passed some sort of "Mommy Initiation" or something and can now cut my own boys hair.  

Half + .9 = 14

Yep, a half marathon plus eight tenths of a mile equals fourteen miles.  That was the run today and it was serious!  Good thing Gu tastes like chocolate pudding--yummy!  My hips were okay, but under my butt hurt like under my hip bones???  I don't know what that's about.  And now I'm having a weird pain in my right inner thigh that isn't like any other pain I've had before.  I hope it goes away because every time I move my leg it hurts...yikes!  Oh, and my face got a little sun because it took quite a while and I'm getting a little congested...noooooo!  I hate a stuffy nose!  (I don't mean to complain, I'm just documenting my ailments during training.)

Only 4 more miles and we'll be at our longest training run.  I can't believe we are this close!  I ran today with my mom and Louisa.  Those ladies rock!

Oh, and today we helped Devin's sis and her husband move into their new house.  It's super cute and the best part is that it's only 10 minutes away from us!  Yea!

Now, it's time to take a hot bath!

Two Choices

As I stood at the stove this evening attempting to make gravy by myself for the first time, both of my little boys were crying at my feet.  They were both tired and hungry and needed love from their mommy.  I myself, was tired and hungry too plus tired of hearing them cry.

I realized I had two choices:  Get upset, pull the gravy off the stove, run to my room, lock the door and take a moment to push away my frustrations while the boys continued to cry at my door.  OR I could kneel down right there, take my sad boys in my arms and just love them with all I had.  That's what I chose.

As I sat their holding them, I felt so much love for them and gratitude to my Heavenly Father for granting them to be my boys.  It was kinda cute--they both were trying to push the other one off me so they wouldn't have to share mommy.  I thought to myself that though times like the one a few moments earlier are hard, and I might have thoughts of wishing I were somewhere else besides home with kids, there might be a time when I would love to have my little boys small again when all they needed was their mama.

I can't believe Jaxon is already 3.  Time goes by so quickly and before I know it, they will be graduating high school, or getting married, or having kids of their own.  I love my sweet babies and I know Devin and I are so blessed they came to our family.

Training Bras

Since Henry is totally weaned now I needed to get a new bra.  Yea!  There are certain times I need different sizes, usually one when I'm pregnant, one for nursing, and a smaller, not-pregnant, non-nursing one.  Anyway, that's probably too much info, but whatev...here's my story...

Last week I had a few minutes to wait while my car was being serviced at the Superstition Toyota dealership so I went over to the mall to check out Victoria Secret (the best bras ever and totally worth the money)!  The girl pulled out the drawer of like 15 different styles in my size and opened a room for me.

While I was trying to decide, and wondering how women deal with so much padding in some of them (I mean, seriously, have you seen "The Bombshell"?  It's big enough to be a pillow!), a heard a mother and daughter bring her daughter in to get a room.  While the daughter was trying some bras on the mother asked the Victoria Secret employee, "How much do these bras cost?"  The employee told her $48.  The mother then said rather loudly and surprised, "I aint buyin' her no forty-eight dollar bra!  She has a fifteen dollar one now that works just fine.  Don't you have any cheaper ones?"

I had a flash back to being a young girl going to try on bras with my mother.  My mom would never have done anything like that, but just going bra shopping was embarrassing enough for me already!  I felt so bad for the girl!  At that age, boobs are a big deal and I can just imagine the girl in the room cringing with embarrassment.

I was reminded that talking about price before taking your kids shopping (when they are old enough to understand cost, of course) is important to avoid situations like that.  When I have a daughter at an age when self esteem is so fragile, I hope to be more sensitive than that mother was.

Oh, and I did find a fabulous bra:) It was $48, but totally worth it!

Christmas List 2009

I know Christmas is still a while away, but I was just thinking about number 2 on my list and thought I'd see what people thought...

1.  Dust buster
Though my Dyson does the job, a handy little tool would be pretty nice for smaller jobs in tighter places.  I bought one a few years back and returned it without opening the box.  I thought I would never use it.  Now, I see opportunities to use one daily.  Thank you, kiddos:)

2.  Adult Footed Pajamas(.com)
I would totally wear these every night after I run and shower and wanna stay all cozy while me and Devin relax and enjoy our shows...Yes, I would love it.  Better than a robe because your legs are covered and better than sweats and a sweater because your tummy/back wouldn't ever catch a chill!

Target and JoAnn gift cards are always on the list too.  Those stores, along with Costco and Ikea, would be my dream stores to go crazy in--like have no spending limit--wow, that would be awesome!

What's on your Christmas list?  Which stores would you choose for a shopping spree?

The Results Are In...

At the half marathon I ran 13.1 miles in 1:44:58. That averages out 8:01 a mile.

I came in 43rd out of 269 runners. I was the 12th female runner and 4th in my age bracket.

I'm pretty proud of myself! I hoped to make it under 2 hours, so I was very surprised and excited to see my time as I crossed the finish line.

It rained on us for a little bit. As the rain washed down my face it tasted salty. I don't think I've every prayed so hard for it to NOT rain than I did then. My hip also started hurting before the half way point. It's an old injury I first got my junior year. I'll be taking Glucosamine from now on.

Devin was there with Jaxon and Henry. They were so cute in the stroller all confused about why mommy was running like a crazy person. My Aunt Alisa and Uncle Danny and their 3 little ones were there for the whole race moving from spot to spot to cheer for me. They were even out there in the rain. It really meant a lot to me and I almost bawled every time I saw them. My grandpa lives near the course so he rode his bike and caught me once along my run to cheer me on. That almost made me burst into tears too! But each time I saw one of them, it made me run harder and do better.

I am excited for the marathon. It's hard to imagine running twice as far as I just did without stopping. But, when I started the training I never thought I could run 13 without stopping so it just takes time to build up to.

The results website also had this info:
4 Mile 32:03
10 Mile 1:19:15

It's Tomorrow!

7:00 am tomorrow I'll be running my guts out in the half marathon!

Well, hopefully I don't actually lose my guts, but I'll be running hard!

11 Miles & Half Marathon

I ran 11 miles on Saturday. It was kinda tough. It was a little warmer than I would have liked and my hip started to get tired when I still had like 2 miles to go.

When I got home my arms felt like they were covered with sand. I figured it was dust from running through the cotton fields while the wind was blowing. A few minutes later I bit my nail and tasted salt. Then I realized that my body was covered in sweat salt. I licked my arm to see (gross, I know) and it was so salty. Next, I downed a Gatorade.

Also, I wanted to mention I will be racing in the Run from the Sun Half Marathon next week! Louisa found it and saw it fit right along with our training schedule so we signed up! If you are my family reading this, it would mean so much to me if you were there cheering me on. I'll be e-mailing you the details:)

Love Fern

You know the movie "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"? Well, remember the "love fern" in it? Devin and I have a love fern too. This is it...




Kinda sad looking, huh?

Yeah, so here's the story...Devin and I met when I was 15. Of course, I had the hots for him, but we couldn't really "date" until I was 16. So one day when we were hanging out at my house my mom decided to give this plant to Devin and tell him that if he could keep it alive until I was 16 he could take me on a date. Why she did this? I don't know, but he accepted the challenge and a few months later, when I turned 16, the plant was still alive and going strong.

While Devin was on his mission his mom took care of the plant and kept it alive. When he got home and we were married, we took the plant and have had it ever since. We've kept it trimmed really little and it's almost died a few times, but somehow it has managed to hold on.

So, knowing that background, here's the deal...I don't really like indoor plants. I think they are pretty and flowers are great, but taking care of a plant just isn't something I care to do. I don't know how this love fern is even still alive after 5 years of marriage and almost 3 years previous to that. So, I told Devin I just wanted to throw the plant away and he didn't really like that idea. Now, I am a sentimental person, but I don't think throwing away this plan is like saying, "I give up on our relationship and don't care anymore." I just don't want this little plant. I don't know, I guess it just sits on the armor and isn't really that much to care for, so maybe I'll just keep it.

What do you think? I am cold hearted because I'm not really attached to the "love fern"?

Glue Dots

In case you are wondering, it's super fun when your toddler finds the glue dots without you knowing...

Poor Little Piggies

2 blisters on this foot

And 3 on this foot

But I still love running!

Update: I guess my left little pinky toe heard you weren't cool unless you had a blister, so it decided to grow one too! That makes 6!

SO Funny! Read this!

Thinking of Having Kids?

Do This 10 Step Program First

Lesson 1

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline

2. Lack of patience

3. Appallingly low tolerance levels

4. Allowing their children to run wild

5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 2

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5pm to 10pm carrying a wet bag weighing approx. 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.

2. At 10pm, put the bag down gently, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at midnight and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1am.

4. Set alarm for 3am.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2am and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45.

7. Get up at 3am when alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4am.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive.)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 3

Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 4

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus in the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this- all morning.

Lesson 5

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle Cheerios all over the floor, them smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 6

Go to the grocery store. Take the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goats eat or destroy. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 7

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a 9 month-old baby.

Lesson 8

Learn the names of every character from all shows on PBS, the Disney Channel and Noggin. Watch nothing else on TV but shows from these channels for at least 5 years. (I know, you're thinking "what is Noggin?") Exactly the point.

Lesson 9

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 10

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from lesson 9 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Read more: http://www.joyshope.com/#ixzz0VpOqluHz

Peanut Butter Kid Jr

Devin had a severe peanut allergy when he was a kid so the doctor said it was best if we held out until age 3 with our kids to introduce peanut butter in their diet. It was so LONG waiting until Jax was 3 and I just didn't think we needed to wait that long (after age 1) with Henry, so I gave it to him a few days ago. Mostly, I didn't think he'd have an allergy, not like I really knew, but I figured if he did have a reaction, I'd dial 911 right away. He was fine.

I fold the bread in half and usually he eats the whole thing. I guess this time he wanted to lick the peanut butter right off the bread! It was adorable!

Then he decided he wanted a "nana" to go with it.

Halloween 2009

I really like Halloween. But, only the fun/cute kind, not the scary/creepy kind. It's always hard for me to fork over the dough to buy costumes, but I always have so much fun getting dressed up and dressing up the boys, husband included:)

The theme was "animals," so here we are...Devin is a Dalmatian, I'm a snake (you can't see, but my pants are like snake skin) Henry is a lion, and Jaxon started out as a sting ray, but when he saw Uncle Josh's hat, he decided he wanted to be a crocodile.

PS...I don't know what's up with Henry's head in this pic--it looks a little strange. It's the only family shot we got, so it'll have to do...

"Mr. Ray" wings
Cute little lion

Strangers

The other day my mom took me and the boys to lunch at Barros. They have this fabulous kid area where the kids can play while we eat. There were 2 girls playing when we got there. I told Jaxon he could play until our food came. When it came I called him by name to come and eat. The girls noticed his name and started calling it to get his attention. He looked at them and said (in a raised voice), "You are strangers. You will take me!" and ran over to me. I was so proud!

I've talked to him about how people we do not know are called strangers and we don't talk to them. When we are in a store and he wants to wander off I remind him that there are strangers at the store that might take him if he doesn't stay by mommy. I'm glad he recognized the "strangers" and chose not to talk to them and come by me.

Chicken Casserole

Last Sunday we ate dinner at my Grandpa's house after church. His wife Connie served a yummy chicken casserole. On our way home Devin and I were talking about how we like it and he said,

"Yeah, I like those water crestnuts that were in it."

"Water crestnuts?" I said. "You mean water chestnuts???"

I had to tease him because he's such a foodie and he totally didn't know what he was talking about!