S'MORES

After the race we came back to the house, ate, got cleaned up, and took naps in no particular order. I had basically put my self on bed rest at this point because moving was just too painful. Everyone gathered around me in the room where we visited for a while. It felt way too much like a hospital room! HA

After a delicious dinner that Brian made for us all Nate and Brian started up the fire for some S'more's. They were a crowd pleaser as always and were the perfect ending to a fun trip!

Then I saw my Ethan reading to sweet baby Ethan! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen!

Kentucky Derby miniMarathon

The day I had been dreading since mid January has now come and gone. It is was the day I had agreed to run a half marathon with my friend Jenn.

Jenn, Nate, and I got up early and headed out to the race. Apparently my prayers to get lost and miss it were overlooked as some hilarious joke. I was very nervous the night before and the morning of, but once we got there my nerves were gone. I just wanted to get this over with! I knew I would be able to run it. I had ran 10 miles two weeks before so what is 3.1 more. I didn't train as hard as I could have and miss a whole 3 weeks of training before I ran the 10 miles, then I only ran once more after the 10. Before the race started I wished I had prepared better, but it was too late. I had to forget about all that and just do my best! I felt as long as no "speed walkers" past me I would survive!

Good News I did survive and I met my two goals for the race: finish with walking, and not throwing up (although there were a few times I thought I might).

Here is Nate's big finish in 1 hour 48 minutes. He was going for speed, he was going for distance! Lets all just pretend that the lady in front of him in the pink sports bra is me. Yeah, that is much better! HA

Ok, fine! The real me is in a little more than a sports bra. I finished in 2 hours and 15 minutes. For a little more fun lets pretend like that grandpa in front of me is 16! I am proud of my time and the fact that I finished, but honestly I could barely move after this.

Here comes Jenn! Brian had the lens cap on when she came running by so this picture is more like a Where's (Jenn) Waldo. She did great even though it was hard for her to train with school, being a single parent, and dealing with sick kids off and on for the last 3 weeks leading up to the race!

Me and a few of the cuties!

Here is our runners picture! YAY for us!

Here is our runners in pain picture. Although I am pretty sure I am the only one in pain! HA

I DID IT!

Louisville Day 1

We left the house at the crack of dawn this morning so we could spend as much time in Louisville as possible. The drive was great, the children were champs, and we made it in just 6 hours.

Probably because of Brian's game face, just a wild guess!

We decided to rent a house instead of staying in a hotel, mostly because by the time we went to book a hotel everything within a 30 miles radius was completely booked. The house is totally cute and has given us plenty of room to spread out.

After we unpacked all of our cars we decided to venture out for lunch. We were looking for chick-fil-a but after almost an hour we gave up and settled for Wendy's. Those darn GPS's will take you anywhere! HA

After a nutritious lunch of burgers and frosty's we were back out on the open road in search of the expo where we needed to get our packet's for the race. Once again the GPS took us FAR, FAR away from the expo. After a quick round of musical cars I took the lead and got us there safe and sound! And thank goodness we got there when we did because none other then Spider-Man himself made an appearance!

It is early to bed because tomorrow is the big day!

Ethan's New Look

Today started out business as usual. Waking up the children, school lunches, hair, reading logs, and teeth brushing. It was during the bushing of their teeth that I noticed something odd about Ethan.

Now normally I do not monitor their teeth brushing, but they were being very loud and I didn't want them to wake up Luke.

I was looking at Ethan through the mirror and I couldn't quite put my finger on what was different. Then I turned his face to mine and BAM there it was, he cut his eyebrows. I tried not to laugh or freak out, but just couldn't understand why he would do that. I tried to explain to him that eyebrows don't grow like hair and it would be FOREVER until the grew back.

He couldn't ever give me an explanation as to the thought process behind this genius idea, and I am assuming it is because there wasn't one.

I guess Ethan will sporting this new look, new look minus his eyebrows for a while! Good thing he is a cutie!

Children's Museum

One of my biggest complaints about where we live is the lack of school breaks. There is no Fall Break, Christmas Break isn't a full two weeks, and Spring Break is a measly 3 days. Since our mini Spring Break was upon us we decided we might as well go out and have a little fun, so we headed to the Children's Museum.

I forgot my camera and only have phone pictures!

We started out in the arts & crafts room and then ventured out to see what else there was. When the children spotted this giant chicken coop they were in heaven. They played and played until Brian couldn't take it anymore and insisted we see what else they museum had to offer.

We played and played and had a great afternoon. We didn't even get to see half of all the the children's museum had so I guess we will just have to go back!

Organized?

I wouldn't consider myself to be among the super organized, but I sure wish I was. In order to try and be a part of that group I have to try twice as hard since it doesn't come naturally. Here are some things that make my life easier.

Laundry System – It has only taken me 8 years come up with a laundry system that works without me feeling like I was drowning in it. I do at least 1 load a day (it is sometimes more when I am doing sheets.) I hang everything up except underwear, pajamas, pants/jeans/shorts. Everything else I fold and put directly into each persons laundry basket, everyone has there own. Daily I put away Luke’s, Brian’s, and my own laundry; the older children put their own away, and then put their baskets away. Now, laundry hardly every gets out of control.

Tip: I safety pin each pair of socks together, a genius idea stolen from some friends we knew when we lived in Washington. The safety pin stays on the inside of the right sock while you wear it, and when you take them off you just pin them together again. They get washed together, and never get headaches from searching for socks to pair up; if you have one then you have two. BIGGEST TIME SAVER!

Toy Baskets – In the pantry I have baskets for each of the children. Throughout the day as I find things that belong in their rooms I put it in their baskets. Each day they are to put their stuff away. This has eliminated toys all over my stairs that they just walk past anyways.

Label, Label, Label – Label everything drawers, closets, shelves, toys.

. Throw Everything Away – It seems simple but this is the hardest one for me. The less you have the less you have to clean.

Bathrooms – Under each bathroom sink I have a basket with Windex, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, and toilet bowl cleaner. Each day when I wipe down the bathrooms everything I need is right there.

I can’t wait to get more idea’s over at Kelly’s Korner!

Shopping with the Boy's Take Two

After the disaster that I now loving refer to as our-trip-to-the-outlets-on-Monday, I wisely decided to take Tuesday off from any shopping. However, as Wednesday rolled around I knew we would have to try again because I needed to go to Pottery Barn to quadruple check the color of our new couch. And just like I thought the Stone has not changed, and is still Stone. Just thought I would save you a trip incase you were also having the same issues!

stone

Now this wasn't just a trip to check colors. I am also in the market for some new rugs. Of course they didn't have any samples or swatches of the rugs I really wanted, but did have one that I was just curious about. I decided I would bring it home and check it out in my room for the small fee of $25.

wanted

wanted

just curious

Before I headed to the checkout counter I grabbed a few other things I saw and liked (everything in the store was 20% off). I think it was at this point that I went to grab my wallet, and it wasn't there! I had left it at home on the counter where I used it to pay for the children's upcoming field trips! I was so annoyed! Mostly because the mall is at least 25-30 minutes away, and I wanted to reward the boys for being so good, but of course could not.

I am going to try again on Friday. This time with no kids in tow!

This is my most favorite rug right now!

Sums Up My Whole Day

I took the boys to the Outlets today because I needed new running shoes and the 1/2 marathon is less than 2 weeks away. Of course I got distracted by all the other shops there and didn't get to the shoes until 2 hours into the shopping trip. Needless to say the boys were DONE at that point, but I still couldn't resist hitting just two more stores. It was at this point that Luke went into totally melt down mode, but it wasn't until we got home that he covered his face with mascara.

Thanks for the adventure today boys!

Surprise Visit from the Easter Bunny

While I was napping and Brian was cleaning out the basement the children noticed a ton of easter eggs in the yard. They were trying so hard to figure out how one of us could have done it, but they finally realized the only thing it could have been was an early visit from the Easter Bunny. They were so excited and grabbed the first bags they could find and ran out there to get those eggs.

Enjoy our wonderful Sunday attire where apparently pants are optional, and babies have marker ALL OVER them.

Books from Punta Cana

One of my favorite things about our trip to Punta Cana was all the uninterrupted reading time I had, and I am so grateful I took some great books with me.

The night before we left I had book group and we discussed The School Of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. Even thought I didn't technically read it on the vacation I have to mention it because I loved it! I fell in love with each of the characters and felt like I knew them personally. I read it in about 2 days, (thanks to Kai and Luke for sleeping in until 10am on the second day) because I just needed to know more about each character. If you haven't already read it, you need to. Also, good news, her next book is coming out in June.

Jackie & Bobby was the first actual book of the trip. I started it on the plane and finished it the day after we arrived. It is all about the relationship that grew between Jackie & Bobby out of their grief from losing John F. Kennedy. I learned a lot I hadn't known before, and I was heartbroken for Jackie most of the book. I really enjoyed it however, if you are not interested in the Kennedy's or non-fiction it might not be for you.

Here I am reading Jackie & Bobby poolside.

Then I started to read a book I have been wanting to read since I saw it at Target, and then saw it on a blog I like. It is Bloodroot by Amy Greene. I loved every second of it. It is about a girl named Myra who grew up in Appalachia, told through the people closest to her. It was a heartbreaking and vivid story of her family. My mom grew up in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, and although her experience growing up there (and mine visiting as a kid) was nothing like this families, I could relate to her love of the land around her. Visiting Kentucky as a child was the most amazing experience, and I think part of my love for it was trees, creeks, hollers, and animals that were always surrounding me. My grandparents owned an awesome house on over 350 acres of land, all untouched and unexplored. Amy Greene did an amazing job of writing about the land surrounding Myra, it was almost its own character.

Here I am reading Bloodroot with the ocean right in front of me. I love this picture because it pretty much sums up what we did the whole time. Brian tanned, I read, Emily put on sunscreen, and Nate took pictures.

Lastly I started to read Wild Swan by Jung Chang. I read it about 4 years ago for my book group in Washington, and now I am reading it again for this book group. This is another great book, and is about three generations of Chinese women. Jung Chang does a wonderful job telling her story as well has her mothers and grandmothers. Parts are brutal but she doesn't hold back. I am so excited to read it again because I already see myself noticing things I didn't the first time around. I can't wait for another great discussion about it.

Happy Reading!

*Side note: We just traded pictures with the Steinhafel's and I am sorting through them right now, so the rest of our trip pictures will be up soon!

Bird Watching & The Dentist

Today while we were eating lunch we noticed a bird with a beak full of grass. After Kai stopped laughing because he thought it looked like a silly beard, he came to the conclusion that he was building a nest. Naturally, he wanted to know where his nest was. As luck might have it, it was right under our neighbors deck. An ideal spot for us to bird watch from our kitchen window. We saw other birds, but we could always tell if it was our bird if he went back under the deck.

Kai and Luke were both highly entertained by the bird and the potential nest making that was going on just a few feet away. Then Kai made up a "pattern song" that went:

Churp, churp,

Tweet, Tweet.

(repeat about 1 million times, yeah that should be good)

Then Luke chimed in. I am pretty sure that was just what the bird needed to encourage him to hurry up with his nest making.

After nearly an hour of Bird Watching it was time for Kai and I to head to the dentist. This was Kai's very first time, and he was a little nervous even though he is five years old and very brave.

Here is a picture of us in the car before we went in.

Not so scared anymore.

Good News, clean teeth are the best! Bad News, I have two cavities. I have NEVER had a cavity before and I am FREAKING OUT. I of course realize that every day people are getting cavities filled, but somehow that just doesn't help! Sedation Dentistry anyone? Just thinking about it (and typing about it) makes me want to vomit!