Training Started This Week

Since I have decided to run the PF Chang marathon again, I have started training.  And, since it's SO stinking hot there is no way I can run outside.  I can't wait for the day that it's cool enough to run outside!  I especially love running outside during the holidays because it's so fun to see all the decorated houses!  But for now, I have to go to the YMCA.  If the boys are good and get ready and go to the kids place so I can exercise, I take them swimming afterwards.  Here are some pictures from today...

Oliver was putting his face in it like a drinking fountain then sticking his tongue out. 

 I try to meet my friend Kiera at the Y so we can exercise together and today she brought her boys swimming with us.  It's crazy that when we first met she didn't have any kids and we only had Jaxon.  Now, between the 2 of us, there are 5 kids...and they are all boys!!!  It's so fun to see them all growing up and playing together!

Yeah, so I'm running the marathon again!  I know I said I would never do it again, but I was so close to qualifying for Boston that I want to run it again so I can qualify.  They actually decreased the time so I have to cut more off my time, but I think I can do it.  

Training is very time consuming, but I really enjoy doing it.  When I told Devin I wanted to run it again he said with a big sigh, "You do?"  Then I told him that I know it takes a lot of my time, but he had to support me.  I guess it seems like it takes more time because of when the training falls...during the holidays and wrestling season.  But, around the time of the marathon we are planning on trying to have another baby so the timing is perfect.  I want to do this for myself before getting pregnant again.  And because of the scare with Ollie and the doctor being relieved that my body was in such good shape before getting pregnant that he thought it would heal itself, which it did, I want to be really healthy before getting pregnant again.  

So, anyone interested in running the marathon with me???  

There is a half (13.1 miles) if a whole (26.2) is too much.  

It's super fun!!!

How Many Pics?

How many tries does it take to get a good* picture with 3 kids under the age of 4?  

 Who knows?  I quit trying after 3.

*good meaning all kids smiling and looking at the camera.

20 Days

I haven't posted in 20 days and a lot has happened I need to post about!  Finding time is so much more difficult with a baby.  Ollie eats about about 8 times in a 24 hour period, and each feeding (with time for eating, burping, and diaper change) is about 30 minutes.  That means for 4 hours a day (plus time playing with him!) I am spending time feeding my little baby, which I totally enjoy, but which means I have 4 less hours to do other things, including update the blog.  Plus, in the evenings when the kids are asleep Devin is usually using the computer to do homework for his masters classes so I am unable to update then.  So, a real update will be coming soon...at least I'm planning on it...

Weekend Sickies

This was kind of a strange weekend.  Friday we were home and I was able to get some work done, which was nice.  Devin even helped with some painting.

Saturday Devin worked and I took the kids to a birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza, which was cra-zy!  There was so much going on in there...lights flashing, games making noise, tons of kids running everywhere...not quite my thing.  I get too nervous that my kids will get lost or stolen.  But, once Devin got there to help it was better.

Then, Sunday we stayed home from church because we were all little sickies.  Jaxon and Henry have had a cough, but then Henry started to have a fever.  My throat was sore.  Oliver had been up most of the night before because he was coughing so I slept in the recliner with him.  That means I didn't really sleep.  He slept all day Sunday and barely ate anything.  He did have a cough for a few days like the other boys, but I don't worry too much about a cough.  But once he stops eating, I start worrying.

I feels like all I did this weekend was paint, nap, and take care of poor little Oliver.  Devin and I didn't get any time together, which is a bummer.  I will be taking Oliver to the doctor this morning.

One fun thing we did was make a chocolate cake.  My brother's birthday was this month so Devin made him a vegan chocolate cake.  It was SO delicious.  Since we gave that one away, Devin made another non-vegan one.  It was also SO delicious.  I have a few pounds to lose and these yummy desserts aren't helping!

Oh, that reminds me, I ran on Saturday!  It felt so good.  I ran 2 miles in 20 minutes so it wasn't my usual pace, but I will work up to it.  I'm a little sore in my inner thigh and shin muscles, but those are the only places.  I guess one run in with Jillian Michaels was enough to prepare my muscles for running.

Mowing with Grandpa

Jaxon and Henry both on Grandpa's lap while he mowed the lawn.

Oliver loves Gramps already!

2 weeks old

Day Old Child

I stole this from a friend's blog.  I love it.

Day Old Child

My day-old child lay in my arms.

With my lips against his ear

I whispered strongly, "How I wish-

I wish that you could hear;

I've a hundred wonderful things to say

(A tiny cough and a nod),

Hurry, Hurry, hurry and grow

So I can tell you about God."

My day-old baby's mouth was still

And my words only tickled his ear.

But a kind of a light passed through his eyes,

And I saw this thought appear:

"How I wish I had a voice and words;

I've a hundred things to say, 

Before I forget I'd tell you of God--

I left him yesterday."

Oliver is now a week and a few days old.  He has been such a good baby.  He eats well and is always content.  At least so far, he hasn't been fussy once.  

This was my first week as a mother of three.  Because I am not watching kids anymore, I am excited about motherhood again.  It makes such a difference in my attitude!  I feel like I can give my full attention to my own kids without the distractions of other children.  Some moments are still hard.  Henry is the tough one right now.  He has serious fits of screaming and hitting.  Those aren't fun.  But, because I have accepted the fact that those moments happen sometimes, and because I am SO thankful that my kids are the only ones I have to deal with, I can deal with them without losing my patience.  

Jaxon has been really obedient and helpful and I appreciate that.  Turning 4 years old was the best thing that happened to him!  His "terrible twos" lasted from 1.5 to 3.  I'm glad those are over.  Only 1.5 years left to go for Henry!

Now if I could only find a good nursing bra that actually held up these jugs, I'd be on top of the world!

September 30

It's the last day in September.  Yea!  I want the next 3 months to go by really fast so I can hold my little baby!  I'll try to focus on my 2 kids and the holidays to keep my busy while I try to wait patiently.  I was able to go to Joann's the other night to pick up some supplies for a few projects.  I'm excited about that.

Wrestling season is starting soon.  Ew.  At least right now Devin is only gone 2 nights a week.  He gets home late every night during wrestling though.  That's not a fun part about the holiday season.

I went to Walmart last night and was having tons of contractions while I did my shopping.  Like, every 3 minutes.  They went away when I drove home.  I try to consider it practice and relax and be glad that my body is getting ready.

Playing Doctor

When I was little I remember my mom discouraging me from playing doctor.  I never knew why.

Well, the other day the boys were playing in the toy room and from the kitchen I heard Jaxon say to Henry, "Now it's time to check your penis."  Of course I went to see what was going on.  Jaxon said, "I'm pretending to be the doctor."

Then I knew why.

Us little girls didn't do those kinds of examinations.  We just listened to the heart and pretended to give shots.

And yes, we call it by the real name.

Stop Worrying

The boys were watching the previews before Finding Nemo started and Henry kept asking, "Nemo?  Nemo?  Nemo?"

Jaxon must have been tired of it because he said, "Yes, Nemo's coming.  Stop worrying about it."

And at Granny's house, Jaxon wrote his name with the spaghetti noodles.  

They are so fun together (most of the time).  They do fight, but usually play so well together.  It will be interesting to add another to the mix!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Devin got a buy one get one free burrito coupon at Chipotle for teacher appreciation week.  We were excited to go and the boys were so good while we gobbled up our gigantic burritos!

Ice Cream Decisions

The other night we had to run to the store after dinner and baths.   Mommy took about 2 seconds to locate her chocolate ice cream and put it in the cart, but Daddy took a while to decide.  While we waited, the boys were just being so cute so I snapped a few pictures. 

Notice Devin reading the cartons to help him decide which flavor to choose.

Wrapping Paper

Yep, a mess.  But they did have a great time!

The kids' newest favorite thing is to take the cushions off the couch.  Looks like Joey found a comfy place to rest.  Poor Joey, he has valley fever again.  He will probably be on meds the rest of his life.  I have grown to love and be very grateful for this sweet doggie!

The Park

Okay, so I seriously can't stand teenagers at the park.  I just think, Really, guys?  You come to hang out at the park?  Did you forget it's for LITTLE KIDS?!

I especially love when they yell swear words at each other and carve those swear words into the cement.  That's fabulous too.  There are babies and toddlers around, knock it off!!!

(Can you tell I just got home from the park where I was trying to enjoy the whether with my boys and there were teenagers there?)

I don't understand why they go there.  I never hung out at the park in my adolescent years.

Potato Heads

A few Saturdays ago, Devin and I ran some errands with the boys and when we got home he and I started making dinner in the kitchen while the boys played with their potato heads in the toy room.  We can see them from the kitchen and it was so cute to watch them play so well together.

As I watched them play, I reflected back on the day we spent together.  It was pretty much perfect.  We didn't do anything big, or expensive, or terribly exciting, but it was a perfect day spent with the three boys I love most in life.  I thought about how amazingly blessed I am to have all these boys in my life.

They played for about an hour and still did not want to stop when it was bath time.  We convinced them with promises of stories after bath and they got excited to read.  They are so sweet.

I'm so thankful for days like that.

Church with a Guest

With two little boys to entertain and keep quiet for an hour, sometimes it takes 4 Spiderman action figures.  But when Daddy starts playing, things really get fun!  This is what happened in our pew this past Sunday:

Notice Spiderman in a white shirt and though you can't see it, he is wearing a tie too.  He's "Church Spiderman" painted by Granny.  He's a great time in his skin tight pants and skinny tie!

Baby Time

Might as well throw it out there...Since I'm done with serious training and my races are over, I'd really like to have a baby soon.  So, I wasn't very excited when I told Devin I don't think I got pregnant this month because I was having some cramps so I think I'm gonna start soon.   His response was, "Darn.  Well, I guess we'll have to try harder next month."  He's so sensitive...

(Incase you are new to this blog, that's sarcasm.  You'll see it a lot around here.)

Then later he asked what a cramp felt like.  How crazy would that be to have never felt a cramp?  I told him it feels like a charlie horse like he gets in his calves, but in the lower tummy area.  Like, literally, your muscles are all cramped up.

Ladies, how would you describe a cramp?

Cheap Diapers

This is a total rant about cheap diapers.

I am not against using the generic brand for most products, but there are a few exceptions.  One of those exceptions is diapers.  The generic ones are NOT the same quality of the name brand ones.

If you know me, you know that I watch kids during the week.  Well, one of the girls is 7 months old.  Usually, her parents bring the generic brand diapers for me to use.  Once, they did bring actual Pampers.  Out of that package of name brand diapers she had 2 blowouts--out of the whole package.  With the generic diapers, typically she has 2 a DAY!  It is so frustrating!  I change her diaper frequently to avoid the diaper getting too full to hold up.  For example, this morning, I put a new diaper on her before putting her down for her nap.  When she woke up, 30 minutes later, she had poop all up her back!  In 30 minutes that diaper did not fill up, it just does not hold what it needs to!

I guess the reason for buying name brand diapers is for the parents to not have to deal with the mess of a generic brand.  The baby doesn't care one way or another.  I just wish her parents would be kind enough to splurge on the name brand diapers so I wouldn't have to deal with this problem every day!  (Not to mention having to wash her poopie clothes too!)

Is It Over Yet?

That's how I felt yesterday at about noon.

Last Friday Jaxon went to the doctor and we were told he has pneumonia!  Then, Monday we took Henry to the doctor and he has an ear infection!  Poor little guys!  But, that's not what this post is about.  This post is about the events that happened today.

First, some background...

I have 2 kids, ages 3 1/2 and 18 months.  Five days a week I watch a 5 year old and his little sister who is 6 months.  Three days a week I watch a 5 month old little boy as well.  They were all here this morning.  Keep this in mind as you read about my day.

Now on with today's events...
Since Henry is doesn't feel well, he wants to be held ALL day.  I'm not exaggerating at all.  Usually I can put him up o the kitchen counter with me and he watches me as I do what I need to.  Well, he wasn't happy sitting on the counter.  He wanted to be sitting on my hip.  I just couldn't do what I needed while holding him so I put him down and he got upset.  He started to bang his head on the ground--the tile ground.  Devin says to ignore it, but I can only handle it so long so I put him in his room for a minute so I could finish and then I would hold him.  The whole time he was in his room, literally like 4 minutes, he banged his head on the door or walls.  Well, I guess he did stop for a minute or two to do this...

Looks like he's taking lessons from Jaxon.  

So, after a few minutes I got him out of his room and took him back into the kitchen with me.  There was dish water in the sink so he wanted to play in the bubbles.  (Notice the damage he had done to his forehead--yikes!)

He's happy!

Here's Jaxon in his Mr. Ray outfit.  He wanted in on the bubble playtime.  

I just let them put there feet in, but I guess that wasn't enough for Jaxon.  I left the room for a moment to change one of the babies diapers and when I came back this is what I saw.  He decided to get naked and climb in.  

Since Henry doesn't know how to take his clothes off yet, he just got in!  And he's pretty happy about it!

After they were all dried off and dressed Henry asked for a treat.  Well, he takes like 15 minutes to decide what he wants, so I put the bowl on the floor and let him mingle over his decision.  With how clingy being I was happy to leave him to himself for a minute so I could tend to some other things.  

I checked on him a few minutes later and I realized he was taking all the wrappers off the Kisses and putting them in the trash, only the Kisses that is.  He left the wrappers on the ground.  I took out the ones I could, there were 6, plus 2 he had sucked on before throwing away.  

I ate a few and saved a few.

This was Jaxon that afternoon.  I totally wanted to cuddle up right there with him, but I had a screaming toddler banging his head and 2 babies I had to deal with.  

Spiderman, May He Rest in Peace

At one time, his whole torso split and all his limbs, including his head, were off.  Devin put him back together with some tape and the boys still loved him.  But, he really needed a full body cast if he truly wanted to recover.  I think there's no more denying it--he'll have to be thrown away.  Even though my boys have like ten other Spiderman action figures, they'll be heartbroken that this one is finally gone.

Bribery and Frosty

Here's how to make your kids behave while at the mall so you can catch the after-Christmas sales...

Bribe them with fishie crackers and candy.

Or, you could tell him Frosty the Snowman will eat him if he's not a good little boy.

No, we didn't really tell him that.  What kind of mom do you think I am?  He was just scared for some reason.

Jaxon loved Frosty though:)