Mahalek Central

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-31T15:55:00.001-07:00

What Has Been Eating Up All My Time This Week

2008-09-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

My friend Tanya and I co-chaired our school's annual Book Fair. It was a ton of work, but enjoyable. My friend and I worked very well together, so that made it easy. We set it up last Thursday and then it was open this Monday through Thursday. We did not have to be there the entire time since we had parent volunteers working it, but we were there quite often, answering questions, reordering books, and taking care of the finances. Thank goodness Tanya is a former accountant! She handled all of the bookkeeping and I handled the people. We haven't yet gotten the finally tally, but I think we did really well. Tanya and I have decided to chair it again next year, unless we find out that we really screwed it up. :)

Fashion Show

2008-09-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Alex and I love watching "Jon and Kate Plus Eight". The little one are her same age and she thinks it is so neat that there is a show centered around kids her age. I love seeing that I am not the only one that gets snappy with her kids. The episode that we were watching on TiVo was the one where the Gossling family has a style show. Alex decided that she would love to do this. So while I was working out, she kept coming downstairs in different outfits. It was a photo opportunity that I could not pass up.

She's got that whole hip action thing down, doesn't she? :)

A little of this, a little of that....

2008-09-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

What, oh what, to do with my head strong 4 year old? She brought me to my wits end today. She through the biggest fit today when I went to pick her up from a friend's house. I ended up having to drive her home with her only in her underwear because she was fighting me so bad I couldn't get her clothes on. She screamed a the top of her lungs and kicked my seat the entire drive home. I didn't know whether to laugh at her or pull over and cry. I think she is now asleep in her bed, passed out from sheer exhaustion. I may do the same. (I wish I would have pulled over and taken a picture of her in all her glory. That would have made for good blackmail material in the future.) By the way, her lip is all healed from last week. We will just have to wait and see what happens with the tooth.

Doesn't she look so innocent? :)

On a more positive note, I finally reached my "goal" weight loss for Weight Watchers. I have lost over 17 pounds and would still like to loose 5-10 more. I wanted to keep my goal weight loss a little less so it would be easier to be a Lifetime member and then meetings/weigh-ins are free. I am really proud of myself and I feel good about how I look/feel.

My "goal" keychain

This weekend, Jim's mom is flying up from Texas to surprise her brother for his retirement party . The kids are so excited to have Grandma Jean here. We only wish Papa Jerry could come as well.

Ryan and Alex with Papa Jerry this summer.

Ryan's 7th birthday is Friday. What?!? How is that possible? He is such a neat kid, very kind and tenderhearted. We are not doing a big party this year, just taking a few kids bowling and then back to our house for cake and playtime.

We also have flag football for Ryan on Saturday, a Husker game Sat. night and a retirement party on Sunday. It might be a little crazy but fun. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

My Poor Little Girl!

2008-09-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today at Preschool, Alex had a little accident. Her and a little boy crashed into each other. Alex ended up on the losing end of that one. The poor thing has a huge upper lip. Her gums were bleeding quite a bit and a tooth is loose. Alex had blood all over her shirt and pants and her teacher ended up with blood all over her pants as well. She is a sad, sad sight.

Feel better soon, my sweet girl!

They're Baaack! (Maybe?)

2008-09-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday Jim and I were lucky enough to get to attend the Huskers season opener in Lincoln. The first game of the year is always exciting, but this year more so because of all of the changes made at the end of last year. The worthless AD was fired and the legendary football coach Tom Osborne was brought back, not to coach, but to be AD. Tom then fired the even more worthless football Bill Callahan at the end of the season and hired LSU's defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. Pelini was with the Huskers for a year and was even the head coach for them for a bowl game. Many thought he should have been hired then, but he wasn't.

Anyway, Saturday was Bo's debut game. The crowd was super crazy and loud. Jim and I got in to Lincoln around 1:30 so we could tailgate with my sister and her husband before the 6 pm game (I know, we were cutting it a little close. :) We just wanted to make sure we were not late). They have a tailgating spot across the road from the stadium. It is so cool to have that stadium in the background. If you are not a freaky football fan like we are, this may be hard to understand. As you can see, the dress requirement for the day is red, red, and more red, with the occasion white and black thrown in.

The game was a blast! While we have a lot of work to do, there is reason to believe that we can improve on our horrible 5-7 record from last year.

Nebraska defeated Western Michigan 47-24. W. Michigan scored WAY too many points, but hopefully they can work out a few of those problems before next week's game with San Jose State.

Former Husker greats Irving Fryer and Mike Rozier (in the orange shirt pointing up) were on the sidelines in front of us. Fryer's son plays on the Western Michigan team. Jim and I had awesome seats- 40 yard line, 10 rows up. We could see everything!

Husker tradition of letting off red balloon on the Huskers' first score.

In Nebraska there is always hope. Hope that the Cornhuskers can get back to where they use to be. Hope that they can be a national powerhouse again. We will see. It should be fun to watch.

Alex's 1st Day of PreK

2008-08-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of Alex's first day of PreK yesterday. Last year she went to a two day a week program, but this year it is 3 days a week. She is loving seeing all of her friends again and not having to just hang out with boring mom all day. :)

Alex with one of her best little buddies, Lily.

No Excuses

2008-08-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

I won't bore you all with my pathetic reasons for not blogging. I will say that I have missed the day to day documenting of my life. It is such a great way to remember everything going on with the kids. I miss all of the fun and random pictures I took of the kids and our activities while I was blogging. So today I have decided to get back into the swing of things again. (You didn't think it would happen, did you, Jenny :)) I don't know if anyone will even be reading this anymore, but if you do, thanks for sticking with me. I missed you all.

VERY short recap of our summer...

Our family on the 4th of July, one of our favorite days of the year.

Our trip to Minnesota with the grandparents.

We had to make a stop in South Dakota to replenish our supply of fireworks for next year. Watch out Kearney, our display will rock next year!

Sadly we had to put our cat to sleep this summer. Jim and I adopted Ozzie a month after we got married (Dec. 96). He was a wonderful cat and we still look for him every day.

Ryan's first day as a first grader!

Alex turned 4 on the 13th. We celebrated with a cheerleader birthday party. I bought at a school auction a birthday party with the local high school cheerleaders. They came to the party and taught the girls cheers, did a few crafts with them, and had cake and ice cream. The little girls were in awe and the big girls were loving the attention from the littles. It was a huge success!

Alex with the Kearney High cheerleaders.

Alex with her beloved gift, her Bitty Baby doll. Happy Birthday Sweetie!!

Next up.... Alex's first day of PreK and the Huskers' Season opener on Saturday. Go Big Red!!

I'm a Sap

2008-03-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

Jim and Gracie at Easter 2000

Gracie's 2nd Birthday. The girl loved Diet Coke. We did not have kids yet because I would never buy a 2 year old DC now. :)

Steph and Gracie with Ryan a few days after he was born.

Summer at Six Flags. Anyone notice the cute Clouse kids? :)

Residency graduation 2004. Steph and I were both pregnant at the time. She would not be happy with me for putting up this picture, but it was the most recent one I had of the four of us.

I admit it. I am sap. It does not take much to make tears come to my eyes, good or bad. Books, movies, TV shows, thinking of my family, even the occasional commercial. Today was no exception (the PMS that I am experiencing right now doesn't help matters either). I received such a sweet note from Steph, one of my friends from residency. She recently had a baby and was thanking me for the baby gift I had sent her. I wasn't surprised to get a thank you from her, but was by the beautiful note she wrote. I left me in tears. I have been thinking of them a lot lately and regretting the fact that we don't keep in better contact. In the note, she wrote how much our family's friendship meant to them and how they consider us family. Anyone that has been through residency in a location far away from family, know how important it is to have good friends. We all spent many holidays together when the hubbies were working too much for us to go home. Steph and her husband were some of the first friends we made in San Antonio. Jim and Mitch were in the same residency class. Their daughter was 18 months (I think) and we took a liking to her right away since we didn't have children of our own until 3rd year. We spoiled her! It was so easy to do because she was such a doll. Jim and I were known as "Mimmie and B" to Gracie and then also to their other children. In fact, most of our group in San Antonio called me "B" :). They are also an important part of our 9/11 memories. Mitch and Steph didn't have cable then, so they and their two kids at the time spent the day at our house watching all of the horrific news footage. Ryan was born the next day.

I don't know for sure why I am writing this all or why this note got to me so much. Maybe it was just nice to know that someone would take the time to write such nice things. Like Oprah says (corny, I know), we all need to know that we matter, that we are loved. And that is so true. At any age or stage of our life. We just want to know that we matter. Thank you Steph for the beautiful note. It meant more than you will ever now. We hope to see you and your family soon.

(Sorry for the pictures being at the top. I am having problems again cutting and pasting my pictures with my Mac. Any suggestion?)

I'mmmmmmm Back!!

2008-03-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

After several phone calls/emails and my husband threatening to post for me (so scary to think what he would post), I have decided to make a return to the blogging world. I miss you all! I really have no reason for not blogging in over a month (ouch!). Life has been going on as usual- school, basketball, Weight Watchers meetings (more on that later), the gym, hanging out with friends/family, and trying to survive the horribly cold weather we had this winter, although we have had some beautiful weather the last few days. I guess I just felt I didn't have anything interesting to say. It did warm my heart to know that I was missed.

Ryan recently completed his first season of Upward Basketball. It is such a nice program and he really enjoyed it.

Thought this site of Ryan was so cute! What a funny boy, wearing his sister's Dr. Suess hat while playing his Nintendo DS.

This is how Alex fell asleep Sunday night at 6:30. Jim and Ryan were sitting on the couch playing a DS game. Alex laid down to watch a show and promptly fell asleep, which is so hard to believe because Jim and Ryan were making so much noise. Poor girl! I guess we should not have skipped nap that day.

I am home with Ryan today because he has strep throat. Poor guy! He stayed home yesterday from school with a fever and had one again this morning. I decided to take him in to the Dr. because a friend he was with Friday (no school-teacher work day) tested positive as well for strep over the weekend. Both the Dr. and nurse didn't think it looked like strep, but they were wrong. At least now I can start him on meds and hopefully he can go back to school on Thursday and Friday since they don't have school all next week or the following Monday (Spring Break).

I have gone back and forth about writing this, but I need to do this for myself as a reminder of the progress I've made. Since joining WW in October I have lost over 11 pounds. It may not sound like much, but I can tell a difference and I feel SO much better. I still want to lose an additional 9 pounds, but I am very proud of the success I have had so far. And to think in those months, there was Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and a trip to Las Vegas. :)

I have some good mail pictures (thanks Carlo and Kim Sue!) to post but am having trouble posting so I will save those for tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great day!!

Missing Teeth

2008-01-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

We had quite a rite of passage at our house this weekend. Ryan has had two loose teeth for several weeks but they just didn't want to come out. Finally on Friday evening, when he couldn't eat his Dilly Bar because it hurt too bad, he decided he wanted it out. So Jim got the pliers out and pulled it out. What a brave boy!!

Then Saturday after basketball, the second tooth was pulled as well. It is amazing how much it changes his little face. It makes him look so much older. Oh, how time flies!

I also need to thank Donna, Jenny, and Carlo and my sisters for the wonderful birthday gifts and cards. Thanks for making my birthday special!

Birthday Thanks

2008-01-15T12:49:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who made my 34th birthday such a special day. I got so many well wishes and good mail I would feel terrible if I didn't thank them properly.

My friend Julie gave me some of my favorite items from one of my favorite stores in town.

Jim's dad and stepmom gave me these great items. Love them!

My friend Tammy is letting me indulge in my chia spice lattes I love.

My parents got me this great sweater.

Kacey sent me these great calling cards with their own beautiful case.

Thanks Donna for this great card. It made me laugh out loud. So true!!

Jim bought this Coach purse for me in Vegas. Thanks babe!

Jill made me my own personalized notecards. Thanks Jill!!!

My sister Erin sent me this great bag. It was perfect for the plane.

I feel so very humbled to receive so many wonderful things. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated. Have a great day!

Vegas, baby!

2008-01-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

Where do I start? We had such a spectacular time in Las Vegas. It was fun to get away for a few days with my hubby and our friends. They were so easy to be with and we feel so lucky that are our friends.

Friday

*We arrived in Vegas around 9:30 am. It was so nice to get there and have the entire day ahead of us. We were able to check in early to our room at the Wynn, which was so nice. Our friends had gotten there an hour earlier so they came to our room. We had a few drinks (it's five o'clock somewhere) and then went downtown where we had lunch and played video poker. We went back to our rooms late afternoon to take a nap and clean up for dinner and the show. We went to a great restaurant called Rosemary's and then to the show Zumanity, which was good but completely different than expected.

Here we come Vegas!

Our self portrait!

Dinner at Rosemary's

After the show

Saturday

We had planned on sleeping in but our annnoying loud neighbors woke us up at 5:30 am. Not fun! We got up and had breakfast at the amazing buffet at the Wynn. Not usually a big buffet fan, but this one was amazing. We played a little video poker and then went to the outlet mall where I got a new Coach purse for my birthday, some jeans, and shoes for my dress that I was wearing that night. We then headed to Bally's to go to The Price Is Right show. I think this was our favorite activity. It is a smaller version of the real show, complete with real Price is Right set from an anniversary show they did. They had Plinko, Hole in One, the little man who climbs up the mountain, and the spinning wheel. The crowd was great and we had such a great time. None of the 4 of us got told to "come on down", but it was so much fun. I would recommend it to anyone visiting Vegas.

That night we ate a new place called Company American Bistro. It is in the Luxor and is owned by some celebrities such as Nicky Hilton, Nick Lachey, and Wilmer Valderrama. Wow!! It is so yummy!! A must try on a Vegas trip. We then went to the LAX nightclub. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We don't have anything like that in Nebraska. :) We even saw Nick Lachey, Vanessa Minello, and Cris Angel. I am a closet celebrity stalker, so this made me very happy. :)

We got to bed about 2:30 am and had to get up at 7 am for our flight. So tired, but we had such a fantastic time. Thanks Troy and Tammy for a great weekend, and thanks Jim for making the trip possible.

All dressed up and ready to go!

Jim and I with our friends Troy and Tammy

All of us at LAX Las Vegas

I know, terrible picture, but the guy in white is Nick Lachey

Thanks for all of my birthday wishes. I will be posting about my birthday good mail soon and catching up on all of your blogs. I am watching my one year old niece this week, so things are a little crazy around here. :)

From Sesame Street to the Strip

2008-01-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, Alex and I had a girls' day out and went to a performance of "Sesame Street Live- When Elmo Grows Up". We had such a great time! The characters were great- straight out of the tv show. Alex doesn't watch a whole lot of Sesame Street any more, but she still loves Elmo and was always worried whenever he left the stage. She also liked Abby Kadabby (sp?). She is still afraid of an "mascot" type things, so she freaked a little when they left the stage to go see the children. Thank goodness we were a couple rows up and they stayed on the floor. We might have had to leave, the poor thing.

Alex showing off her blue slushie lips

Elmo's World, complete with Dorothy and Computer

Abby Kadabby

Jim and I are spending the evening packing for our trip to Vegas. We are leaving early in the morning, so we are trying to get a much done now so we don't have to get up an earlier than necessary. We are very excited!!! It will be a short (Friday-Sunday), but sweet trip. We are going with another couple, our friends, the Kluthe's. We really haven't been on a trip before with friends, so we are really looking forward to it. I know a lot of people think all there is to do in Vegas is gamble and drink. But there are so many more fabulous things to do. First, there are so amazing, award winning restaurants. I love going to nice, grown-up places and having long, leisurely meals. We have reservations at Rosemary's and Company American Bistro. Can't wait!! There are also a ton of wonderful shows to choose from and great shopping. We are staying at the beautiful Wynn hotel, which makes it that more enjoyable. This is kind of my birthday present so I plan on making the most of it. :) Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will catch up with you all when I get back.

Sad Day

2008-01-05T16:04:00.001-08:00

Before

After

I hate taking down my Christmas cards. :( But I do save them all in a photo album so I can look at them whenever I please.

Quiet Time Needed

2008-01-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

I posted this picture of my children to remind myself just how sweet and cute my children are and how I need to stop being such a witch to them. For some reason, for the last few days, my nerves have been shot. Every little, tiny thing they do is bugging the crap out of me. From where they leave their coats and shoes (on the floor), to their arguing (constanly), to the way they cough (I know, I'm a bad, bad mom). I think we have had a lot of family togetherness this break. I feel bad, but I am ready for school to start. My children and I thrive off routines and long breaks throw us off. How do you all with more than 2 children do it? Sorry to those of you reading this that don't drink, but I am ready for a glass of wine (and a hot bath). I have already put my children to bed so I can't be crabby to them any longer today. Hopefully venting will make our day better tomorrow. :)

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! (from our rocker friend Steve) :)

Hope everyone enjoyed their January 1st. I literally stayed in my PJ's all day. It was great! We were busy in the morning cleaning the entire house because we had a New Year's Eve party at our house. We didn't have a babysitter and neither did some of our friends, so Jim and I decided to host a party at our home, children included. We had a great time! The kids watched HSM 2 in the theater room and played nicely together in the playroom. They did somehow manage to get popcorn everywhere, but that was easy to clean up. The adults ate, drank, played "I Love the 80's", Wii sports, and Guitar Hero. The little ones crashed around 10pm but the bigger ones made it till 1:00am. Ryan has NEVER stayed up that late before. He was so excited! He thought he was so grown up. At about 11:30, some of our other friends (who were lucky enough to have babysitters), came over to ring in the New Year with us. They had been at a Rocker party (hence their outfits). They ended up staying till 3 am!! Needless to say, we were a bit tired today. The kids slept till 8:30. I was hoping for later, but I will take what I can get. Both kids did take a 2 hour nap (so did I). We spent the rest of the day doing a 500 piece puzzle and watching football. All in all, it was a great start to the New Year. Hope you all had a nice day!

**I still can't get blogger to allow me to cut and paste my pictures when using my Mac. Does anyone use a Mac computer and know how to move the pictures around how you wamt?

A Productive Day

2007-12-29T14:27:00.001-08:00

We got so much done around our house today. Everyone was feeling better (R and A were sick and I hurt my neck/back) and we were taking down Christmas decorations, so we decided it was time for a "winter" cleaning of our house. Jim tackled his office and I did the storage room and closets and finished up Ryan's room. I cannot believe the amount of stuff we got rid of. The back of my van is full and I have more items that did not fit. I will need to make two trips to Goodwill and Salvation Army. The playroom is not finished, but it is coming along. I have already taken 2 boxes of toys out of there. What in the world!?! I love having everything all neat and organized. Jenny C. would be so proud!

**What did you do today?**

Christmas in pictures

2007-12-27T13:56:00.001-08:00

Okay I am SO frustrated!!! I can not get my pictures to move. Every time I try to cut and paste it copies and pastes something from my iCalendar. #@*&! I am doing this post on my new Mac computer. Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?!? Any suggestions? I am tired of messing with it, so I will leave the pictures out of order for now and just add captions. Sorry!!!

Ryan Christmas morning at my parent's house.

What a cutie!

Jim's stepmom Sandy with the painting we bought her. It was painted by the husband of a friend of hers who recently died of cancer. It was up for auction at GOLD and we knew we had to get it for her. She was so surprised and touched. I love when I can pick out the perfect gift for someone.

Jim's brother Chris, his wife Sara, and Jim's dad Dan with the Nerf guns. Every year "Santa" gets the entire family new Nerf guns and we have a blast running around the house for the rest of the day.

Picture Jim took of Alex sleeping in the car. I love it!

Ryan opening a gift before Mass on Christmas Eve. We always allow them to open one gift on Christmas Eve.

Alex was so excited for her new Baby Alive doll. What was I thinking?!? The thing kind of freaks me out.

Christmas Eve chocolate fondue. Does it get any better than this?

We were so fortunate to have my sister Shannon, her husband Craig, and their one year old daughter Aubrey stay with us for several days. To say my kids adore her is a huge understatement. She is such a sweet and easy baby. We loved having her here.

Ryan with his 93 year old great grandma. Isn't she sweet? She and Ryan have this special bond. He just adores her and is so kind and gentle to her. It makes your heart melt. It was so nice to spend another Christmas with her.

Alex says when she grows up she wants to be a cheerleader and a doctor. Go for it babe! :)

After some serious guilt trips from my husband (he loves to look at the blog at work), I have finally gotten around to posting about Christmas. We had such a wonderful holiday. All our family was here, including my 94 year old grandmother, so it made it such a special time. To me, that is what Christmas is about. Spending time with those you love, because the "greatest of these is love".

So here we go.....

My friend had us over for a breakfast with Santa. The kids talked to Santa and then had snowman pancakes. For the first time, Alex talked to Santa. She still looks unsure, but at least she did it.

Sorry this post is such a mess and so confusing. But at least I got it done. :)

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T20:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!! I know I so badly need to update my blog, but this will have to do for today. Thought I would share a sweet picture of the kids that was taken right before we headed off to Mass on Christmas Eve. Here's hoping this is finding you in the company of your loved ones. I hope each and everyone of you have a special Christmas.

Let It Snow

2007-12-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

We have been getting a little snow on and off this week. Yesterday we got enough for the kids to play in. They were so thrilled! I was happy to see Alex enjoying the snow this year. She didn't think much of it last winter. Even though it is a bit a work to get them out, it is worth it. I loved playing in the snow growing up and I am so glad my kids are able to enjoy it as well. It is snowing/sleeting right now so I think it will be a good day to turn on the fireplace, put in a movie, and cuddle up on the couch. :)

Self Portrait Tuesday (or Wednesday in my case)

2007-12-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

SPT- Christmas Cards

"I love to see how people display the cards they receive each year. some tuck them into a basket, to be savored over a cup of cocoa or tea in the evening; some line a doorway with their cards, creating a holiday decoration of their own. Some display their cards on ribbons, some on a tree. How do you display the cards you receive??"

I love, love, love Christmas cards. They make me very happy. I race to my mailbox every day to see if I have received any. I love to see how much friends' kids change over the year. I even save the cards each year so I can look back at them throughout the year.

I display mine on our refrigerator (here is last year's). I should probably find a better place, but this way I get to see them all the time. I have only received 6 or 7 so far. Come on people, get to it! :) Can't wait to see all of the cards this year. Merry Christmas!!!

Please pray for all of the people killed in today's shooting in Omaha at Westroads Mall. It happened at a very nice store, Van Maur, where I have shopped many time. This hits way too close to home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-20T18:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving from a sweet little pilgrim! Doesn't she look thrilled? :)

A Night at GOLD

2007-11-20T18:35:00.000-08:00

Saturday night we attended GOLD, the annual auction/dinner for the Catholic Jr/Sr. High School in town. It is always a fun time. Who doesn't enjoy getting all dressed up and having a date night with their spouse? This was the 13th year they have held this and it gets better every year. This was only our 3rd year attending (since we were in Texas and Omaha before that). I really enjoyed this year because I helped my good friend Sami with setting up the Silent Auction and contributed a centerpiece. Each year 50 or so people donate a centerpiece for the auction. This year's theme was Winter Ice so there was alot of blue, silver and white. There were some gorgeous ones and I was very pleased that the one my mom and I made actually sold. :) I purchases one as well and I love it. I am just itching to get out my Christmas decorations so I can display my new centerpiece. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Gotta love it when guys wear tuxes. So handsome!

The girls. Tammy, me, Christie, and Kathy

Smile!

The centerpiece I purchased. There are 2 of the large candle holders. Very simple but I love it.

Christmas Card Preview

2007-11-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day here. We decided it would be a great day to take the kids' pictures for Christmas cards. We did family ones last year but decided to just do the kids this year. Jim is a good photographer and knows our camera well, so he took the pictures. I am so excited! I think they turned out fantastic! On the card, he used Photo Shop to do some cool things with some of the pictures. You will have to wait till Christmas time to see the actual card, but I will give you a sneak preview of some of the shots we took.

Our week in Texas

2007-11-04T05:13:00.000-08:00

I started on a big post about our week in Texas, but I just can't seem to find the time to document the entire week of happenings. We had a great time. Since several family members have requested to see some pictures, I will document the week with pictures. Hopefully this will stop me from feeling so guilty and overwhelmed and I can begin blogging on a regular basis again (I know, you've heard that one before.)

Kids swimming at the Cap Rock pool. The first day was gorgeous weather, but the pool was freezing.

Christmas card picture? Just kidding.

The kids love crawling in Mulligan's crate. Mulligan, not so much.

We met Jenny and 2 of her boys at a Pumpkin Patch. I was so nice to see Jenny and hang out with her again for awhile. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of us together. What in the world?!? She has a few on her blog here and here if you want to see them.

The grandparents offered to watch the kids for the night so I could go with Jim to Austin. We had fun laying in bed and watching tv in the middle of the day. We then got dressed up and went to a wonderful seafood restaurant for dinner with some people. After dinner we hit a piano bar on 6th Street. It was a blast!

It was too cold to swim but the kids wanted to go over to the Yacht Club pool and beach anyways. We fed the ducks and look at the many animals there.

On Thursday I took the kids to San Antonio to visits friends. We had lunch at Chuy's with Jenny and Angie and my friend Tracy. It was delicious! How I missed Chuy''s!!! We then went to see Angie's new home. It is gorgeous! I am soooo happy for the Gordon's. They deserve it. After the tour, Tracy and the kids and I went to her new home. She is living in the neighborhood where I taught 4th grade and her kids are going to the same school I was at. One of her daughters is in 4th grade right now. It is fun to hear who is still there teaching. Ryan and Katie were babies together and good little buddies. It was fun to see them so big. Alex and Nathan were born 2 days apart. We moved when they were 8 months old so they didn't get to know each other as well, but they are pretty sweet with each other.

We visited the Austin Children's Museum. It is wonderful and full of so many neat exhibits.

We took a few family pictures Saturday morning before we left for the Nebraska/Texas game. We are not sure why Alex is making that face. :) Is is ever possible for everyone to look good at the same time?

Poor Alex! She crashed as soon as we left the football game. Too many days of missing naps and late nights out. We had a great week in Texas and look forward to visiting again soon.

Assistance Needed

2007-10-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

Okay all you creative ladies out there. I need your help. Several of my friends are running in the Denver Marathon/Half Marathon this weekend. I want to give them a little something. They are all running in honor of Lizzie. The Denver ABC station is actually going to interview my friends Sami and Joe and some of the members of Team Lizzie. I thought about printing out pictures of the one above, putting them in a frame, and tying a rainbow ribbon around them (rainbows were a favorite of Lizzie's). What do you think? Any other ideas? They leave on Friday AM, so I have to get cracking. Nothing like leaving it till the end. :)

Why do I wait so long?

2007-10-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

Oh where oh where do I begin? Why do I let myself fall so far behind? You would think that I would learn that it is so much easier to do a little every day or so than to wait a month. Yikes! I don't want to bore anyone with a long recap of events, but I need to do this for my record keeping. So here we go!

***Ryan turned 6! My sweet, helpful, friendly, smart little boy is growing up so nicely. He is such an amazing kid. He loves Kindergarten and seem to thriving. He loves his teacher and she seems to get wonderful things out of him. The poor boy got sick on his actual birthday and I had to pick him up from school. He look so small and sweet laying there shaking from his fever. He was so sad that he had to go home on his birthday. But by the end of the next day, his fever was gone and he was out riding his bike (without training wheels- finally). So happy birthday to my little buddy. We love you!

***The Nebraska Cornhuskers. Oh how this football team makes me so happy one week and then breaks my heart the next. Jim and I have been lucky enough to attend two games so far this year. One of them was the game against USC. At the time NU was #14 and USC was #1 so it was a huge game. ESPN Game Day was there and it was a night game. We got a babysitter for the day and headed down to Lincoln with such high hopes. And then we promptly got our butts kicked!! The upside was that Jim and I got to spend a day together and hang out with friends at some tailgate parties. Good times.
On our other trip to Lincoln Jim and I got to make a weekend out of it. We had been planning a trip to Florida, but plans fell through. We already had a babysitter lined up (thanks Mom and Dad) and didn't want to loose out, so we decided to go to Omaha and Lincoln. On Friday we drove to Omaha and did some major shopping. It was so much fun to shop just with Jim. We then met up with my sister and her husband and went to (where else) PF Chang's. Yum yum. We then went to a piano bar where they had dualing pianos. They were really good. Jim and I always have such a great time when we hang out with Broc and Erin. We spent the night at their house and then headed into Lincoln Saturday morning for some tailgating and the game. This game NU won, but they made it interesting. They were down 10-0 before they kicked it into gear and beat Iowa State 35-17.

Erin and Broc. Aren't they so cute?!?

What am I doing?

Me and my sweetie

***Weight Watchers. I can't believe I am putting this out here for everyone to read, but I could use any and all support. I joined WW last Monday. I have been feeling really uncomfortable in my skin lately and knew I needed to do something different. I decided on WW because it allows me to eat the things I want, just in moderation. I know that is something I could do on my own but it is nice to have that extra support. It really makes me think about what I am putting into my mouth, i.e. is it really worth it to eat that bag of Cheetos if it is 8 points (and daily points is 22 or so)? Hopefully by writing about this it will help me to become successful with my weight loss. I weigh in Monday morning, so we will see.

***Pumpkin Patch. The kids and I, along with my sister, her daughter my mom, and some friends, took a trip to the local pumpkin patch. The weather here has been really weird. 85 degrees on day, 65 and windy the next. We picked a nice day and had a great time. We came home with many pumpkins, and pictures to boot.

Ryan and Alex with their cousin Aubrey

Alex with her buddy "Lukes" (a.k.a. Luke)

Sweet Aubrey

I love his eyes when he smiles!

***Good mail. I want to thank Lucy and Cynthia for their thoughtful mail and Donna for her caring emails. It does the soul good to know that people care about you. Take care all of you and I will be playing catch up on all your blogs soon.

A Couple of Firsts

2007-09-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

*Today was Alex's first day of Preschool. She is such a little social butterfly that I knew she would have no trouble with going to school and me leaving. She didn't disappoint! She had so much fun and enjoyed being such a big kid. We had a hour from when we dropped Ryan off at school and when her school started. It was pure torture for her! Every ten minutes, "When is it time for MY school?". I am so happy that she loved her teacher and played nicely with the other children. Isn't that what Preschool is all about at 3 years old?

*After I dropped Alex off, my friend Karen and I went golfing (her little girl is in the same class as Alex). I felt like I was playing hooky from my job, which I guess I was. It was a beautiful morning! I actually played well and we were able to get 9 holes completed in an hour and 45 minutes.

*We took Ryan's training wheels off last weekend and he took to it like a champ. I know some kids do it much earlier, but he didn't show any interest in taking them off and I didn't think there was any rush. I'm glad we waited. He had no problems! Jim helped him the first few times then he was off. He has yet to have a fall (knock on wood).

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day! Look forward to catching up soon.

Pet Peeve

2007-08-21T17:13:00.001-07:00

Why is it that the thunder and lightning always rolls in right at bedtime? Arrrrrrh!

A 5K and a Party

2007-08-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

Sami with her shirt honoring her daughter Lizzie

Saturday was a beautiful day! I ran in my first ever race, a 5K. I was going to run in a half marathon last May, but then got a stress fracture and had to pull out. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be because my first race was a memorial run for my friend's daughter Lizzie who died of cancer last October. It was a perfect morning and I was able to run the whole thing without walking, which was my goal. It was an emotional run since there were posters with pictures of Lizzie and some of her favorite Bible verses posted throughout the route. Anytime I wanted to walk, I just thought about that brave little girl and how much pain she endured. That was more than enough motivation to keep me going. Thank you Stratton family for letting me be a part of your family!

Sami, Ryan, and I hanging out after the race

That afternoon was Alex's birthday party for her friends. This was her first one with just her friends. She loved it! We did a little Build a Bear activity at a local toy store. The kids were so well behaved and cute. It was so easy having it there and not at my house. I think she will be talking about her party for a long time.

Kindergarten Here We Come!

2007-08-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Today was Ryan's 1st day of Kindergarten. It went great! I did good as well, no tears. I did have dreams all night last night that it was my first day of school and everything went wrong, but every thing was great this morning. He went right in, hung his backpack up, and went to watch the hermit crabs. We got some pictures, but he wasn't too keen on that process. He has half days for the next 6 days and then moves to all day. Ryan said he liked it and wants to go all day because they will then have 3 recesses. Too cute!

Where Did Time Go?

2007-08-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my little boy starts Kindergarten. I know he is so ready and is very excited, but I am getting a little nervous. Crazy, I know. I used to get somewhat annoyed at those parents who boo-hooed over their child going to school. I didn't get it. Oh, but now I am getting it, big time! How strange it is that someone will see my baby more hours during the day than I will?!? He will love it and have a blast and I will be fine. But it will be an adjustment. I am glad the first seven days are half days before they switch to all day. That will help with the adjustment. I will really miss you Ry-guy!

On a different note, Ryan participated in a little 3 hole golf tournament last Saturday. He didn't win, but was definately the cutest! :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Miss Alex!

2007-08-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today is my little sweetheart's 3rd birthday. I know everyone says this, but really, how in the world is she three? I can't believe how much Alex has changed since her last birthday. She is such a joy to be around and is one of the funniest people I know. She loves her big brother and will not take a nap or go to bed at night without a kiss from him. What are we going to do when he starts all day kindergarten soon? Her eyes are so big and beautiful. They are a perfect combination of my and Jim's eyes. She is very outgoing and loves to play with her friends. especially her best little friend Jenna. Jim and I are so very lucky to be her parents.

Sunday night we had Jim's dad and stepmom, his brother and his wife, and my parents over for dinner and cake. Alex had so much fun opening her presents and having all of the attention on her. She is such a little ham!

This is inside joke. My child is obsessed with chocolate milk. When I saw this shirt, I knew I had to have it for her. She loves it!

What a great expression!

I hope you have a fabulous day my little princess! We love you tons!!!!

Princess Alexa

2007-08-12T17:07:00.001-07:00

A couple of photos of Alex in her Belle Princess dress.

Golfing in Cali

2007-08-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

It's me! I'm back! (I am sure you were waiting on pins and needles for me to return, weren't you.) I'm not sure why I was away for so long; I guess I really have no good reason other than life. I don't know where to begin so I will just start with the present.

Jim and I just recently returned from our trip to California. We attended a golf school at Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach. It was so much fun! We played tons of golf. We were going from morning to night. We didn't get a chance to do much site seeing, but did get to eat at some wonderful restaurants in Monterey. But really, isn't that what vacations are all about, the food?!

Jim and I with our golf instructor Bob

The highlight of the trip was getting to golf at Spyglass Hill in Pebble Beach. It is one of the top ranked golf courses in the US and has to be one of THE most beautiful courses anywhere. Several holes are along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It was amazing! I even pared a hole, which is even more amazing than the scenery. :)

Another highlight: 17 mile drive at sunset. Gorgeous!!

It was great to get away with Jim. We had so much fun! Thanks babe for a wonderful trip. Can't wait for the next one!

4th of July Weekend Recap

2007-07-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful, but very busy, 4th of July weekend. Jim's brother, sister-in-law, and their 3 kids were in town starting on Friday. Since the kids wanted to be together all the time and since none of us wanted to be stuck in a house with 5 kids seven and under, we were on the go all the time. Here are the highlights...
*Swimming at the club on Friday and some trips to the fireworks stands.

*Golf tournament for Jim's work on Saturday (a total blast, but got sooo sunburnt)
*Texas Hold 'Em tournament at our house on Saturday night for adults only. Stayed up waaay too late!
*BBQ at our house Sunday evening for 20 or so adults and 15 kids. Crazy, but so much fun! We had tons of food and beverages and played yard games. Has anyone else played ladder ball before (it goes by several names)? It is so much fun! It is competitive, but easy enough for everyone to play. We let off a ton of fireworks that night. Looked like a war zone in front of our house. Good times.

*Monday is lost to me. For the life of me I can't remember what we did. Must not have been too important.
*Tuesday went to the pool again with the cousins. (They left that afternoon)

4th of July
*Took the kids to the driving range to practice with their new golf clubs. Their clubs are so stinkin' cute!
*Hit the pool for a couple of hours then took everyone home and napped Ryan and Alex. Boy did they need it. They both slept for over 2 hours and would have slept longer but I had to wake them.
*Went to our friend's house for another BBQ. More good food, drinks, and games. Diet started Thursday. :)
*We headed to the club for their annual fireworks show. They do such a fantastic job! The show was beautiful! We came home and lit off a few more fireworks and then it was off to bed, finally, at 11 pm! That is the latest my kids have ever been up (they are in bed by 7-7:30 almost every night). They survived really well and Alex even slept until 8:45 this morning.

Today was a day of catch up- laundry, cleaning, groceries, going to the gym, etc. I am feeling a little worn out, but it is well worth it. We had s0 many wonderful times this last week, hanging out with family and friends. We are truly blessed!

SPT- Hello Friends!

2007-06-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Better late than never! Hope everyone is having a great summer and getting excited for the 4th of July. I really enjoyed looking at all your SPT's. You are all so cute! :) I got my hair colored and cut off today. It feels wonderful to have it off my neck. The picture is not the best (nice flash in the mirror), but I didn't have a lot of time to try and get a good one. Can't wait to hear about all of your 4th plans. Take care!

Help Needed!

2007-06-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, I needed some help/info from you West coast girls (and anyone else who has visited CA). Jim and I are planning on attending a golf camp at Poppy Creek Golf Club in Pebble Beach, CA. The hotel is located in Monterey, CA. We will be spending most of the time at the golf course, but will have a little time (and a car) to explore the Monterey area. Any suggestions? I have never been to CA, so I am so excited!

On a different note, my kids are crabby and tired today. This is what we ended up doing. I set each of them up in their rooms with a portable DVD player, movie, popcorn, and a drink. I know, wonderful parenting in action. All I know is that they needed some down time and I needed a break! :)

Happy Father's Day!

2007-06-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hope all you wonderful fathers out there had a fantastic day spending time with your loved ones. We had a nice day here. They kids slept in (yeah!), so even though I was going to get up with the kids and let Jim sleep in, I got to as well. We went to the club for some lunch pool side and then the kids swam for awhile. We had a really nice time. Last night we celebrated Father's Day with my dad. We grilled out and then opened a few gifts. My sister and her baby were visiting. It was nice to just sit and relax with everyone at home instead of some busy restaurant.

Jim-Thanks for being such a wonderful father to our kids. They adore you!! You are so caring and loving to them. I love watching you and Ryan play games together and watching you and Alex cuddle on the couch after her baths. You are the best!!

Dad- Thanks for being such a kind and giving dad. You are always so patient, even with us three girls. I can't thank you enough for all that you taught me. I love you and am so thankful that we live close to each other. Hope you had a wonderful day!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2007-06-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Not sure if you can tell in this picture, but it is pouring out.

It has been raining nonstop here for the past 2 days and I am sick of it. It is summer and I want sun!! I should know better than to make pool plans, because they always fall through. About the only thing the rain is good for is long naps (makes for nice dark rooms) and beautiful plants. My flowers have really perked up with the rain.

We have been stuck at home today because Alex is sick. She woke up last night around 10 pm with a high fever. I gave her some medicine and then we sat in my bed watching the news for a few minutes when she threw up all over both of us. Lovely! We got to the bathroom where she continued to get sick a couple more time. Poor thing! She has never thrown up before (other than when she was a baby). We took a quick bath where she just shook because she was having chills due to her fever. We got back in bed after that and eventually fell asleep. She woke up at midnight and was sick again, but, knock on wood, she hasn't thrown up since. She still has a fever, but took a long nap, so hopefully it was only some 24 hour bug. This flu is such bad timing because my sister and 7 month old niece are in town. We didn't get to hang out with them today like we had planned. So bummed!! Hopefully we can get together tomorrow and I can get some pics of the kids together.

This picture doesn't have much to do with this post, but I thought it was so funny. Alex wanted her grandmom's hair towel on her head the other day. She thought she was too cute!

GO SPURS GO!!!!

Calamus Fishing Trip

2007-06-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

We had such a nice time this weekend on our fishing trip. I am not much of a fishing girl, but I do enjoy going out on the boat and just relaxing with my family. The fish were not biting very much, but each kid caught a small perch (which had to be thrown back in) so they were satisfied. They were the only ones on our boat that caught anything and they were fishing with a Scooby Doo and a purple kids fishing pole. Pretty funny. The best part of the weekend was spending so much time with the grandparents. My kids were in hog heaven! They are so spoiled by their grandparents, but in a good way. One of them is always up for some cuddling!

The place we stayed at, Calamus Outfitters, was great. Very laid back and casual, but clean with plenty of room. The adult siblings all stayed in the lodge, which had 7 or 8 bedrooms, a kitchen, large eating and living areas, and a great deck and lawn for hanging out in. There was even a pit for a bonfire and marshmallow roasting. The younger kids stayed in the "outhouses". They were very small but clean (which is all that mattered to me). Considering that most of our time was spent on the lake or in the lodge with everyone else, the cabins were fine.

Our "outhouse"

The lodge area was complete with a working ranch so there were all sort of animals to see. Horses, calves, kitties, donkeys and a few dogs were all on the property. It was a lot of fun!

It is now 7:30 and both kids are sleeping. I am off to watch the Spurs. Have a great night!

GO SPURS GO!!!

Pool Time!

2007-06-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoon, Jim's brother, his wife and their kids got into town. They are here to go on the fishing trip/reunion at the lake this weekend. We decided to take the kids to the club pool to try and burn off some energy after. Here are some pics of the cousins playing in the pool. They had a great time together!

Changes

2007-06-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so what I am going to blog about is not as dramatic or important as the title sounds, but I've been a little low on blogging ideas lately. The "changes" are things that we have done to our house lately.
First, we recently got a new couch. Our other couch was nice enough, but oh so small, almost more of a love seat. You really couldn't even lay down on it without your feet hanging over the edge. What good is a couch if you can't lay down on it and be comfortable? Our friends have a couch that we loved. Nice and big (but not too big) and very comfy. We looked around a lot, but just could not find anything that we liked better. So we just came out and asked them if they would mind. They didn't and so a week ago our new couch arrived. We love it! It is a little "poofy", but not too bad and it is so comfy. Mission accomplished!

Next on the list: we rearranged our bedroom. I don't know why we didn't arrange it like this in the first place. There is so much more room and looks so bigger. We still need to more some pictures around, but we haven't had a chance to do that yet.

Before

After

Lastly, we had some landscaping done in our backyard. Last year we had some water in our basement due to some heavy rainfalls and the soil settling. We didn't want to mess with that again, so we had some guys come out and do some work. They were very good and I think it looks so nice now.

Jim's mom and stepdad, who live in Texas, are here. We will all be going up to Calumus Lake for a family reunion. Jim's brother's family, who life in Chicago are coming as well. The kids are SO excited. It should be a good time. I will report back later. Have a great weekend!!

Oh my gosh!! I forgot to add....

GO SPURS GO

Henry Doorly Zoo

2007-05-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last Friday the kids and I, along with my mom, made a trip to Omaha to visit the zoo. I'm not a huge fan of zoos, but this one is really nicely done. It is regularly named as one of the top zoos in the country. I won't go into a long post of all that we did, but I know my family would like to see some pictures. Enjoy!!

SPT- What's in Your Bag?

2007-05-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

I love purses! When Jim and I were first married and did not have children, buying purses was my favorite thing to spend my money on. Obviously I was not able to keep this up once we had children, I quit teaching, and Jim started residency. Then for awhile I was only able to carry diaper bags. Even though that was not that long ago, there are much more cuter diaper bags out there now than 6 years ago. Now that I am free of diaper bags, I have enjoyed being able to use cute little purses again. These 2 are what I am using this summer. The brown and white one is a Target find. I love it! It has plenty of pockets and space for goodies, but is not too big. And for under $40, you can't beat it. The hot pink one is the purse I purchased at a charity auction.
I really like it because it is unlike anything I have ever had before. I usually choose black or brown so it was nice to do something different.

This is what was in my 2 purses. What the heck?!? How embarrassing! I think I have a major issue with lip gloss. (If you haven't tried the new glosses at Bath and Body Works, you must. They are delicious!) At least this forced me to clean out my purses. I have NO idea where those 2 plastic insects came from. Weird.

**What do you have in your bag?**

Memorial Day

2007-05-28T16:15:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone enjoyed a fun-filled and relaxing weekend. It was pretty uneventful around here, but that's nice. The weather was a little gloomy for most of the weekend. But that didn't stop Jim and Ryan from attending a Civil War reinactment at Fort Kearny. The men wore Civil War uniforms, had canons, and even had a soldier with part of his finger missing (doubt that it was war related). I think Ryan the cannons were some of the coolest things he had ever seen. Since 4th of July (see here) is one of Jim and Ryan's favorite holidays, I am not surprised he had the time of his life.

The weather finally got a little warmer Monday afternoon, so we took the kids to the pool and a barbeque. We are so excited to have a full summer with our club's new pool. It opened up last year, but not until mid-June. I am looking forward to afternoons of lounging by the pool with the kids.

This doesn't really have anything to do with Memorial Day other than that I took the picture today, but I just had to post it. Her sweet little face is just too cute!!! Love ya sweet Alex!

GO SPURS GO!!!!!

Recap

2007-05-22T19:22:00.001-07:00

So I don't feel too overwhelmed trying to catch up on everything that has been going on during my absence, I will just give a short overview. I am really excited to catch up on everyone's blog. I missed you all and missed reading about all that's going on with your families. Thanks for the sweet notes and comments. I know it sounds trite, but it made me feel so good to know that people were thinking of me.

*Mother's Day- Jim got up with the kids and I was able to sleep in. So fantastic! The kids (and Jim) gave me a day trip to the spa. What's great about it is that I can use it all at once or split up the 4 treatments. Very excited! We went to church and then my parents and Jim's dad and stepmom came over for barbeque. Please keep Jim's dad in your prayers. He had a kidney transplant last fall and has had a rough go of it. The doctors have decided to put him back on the transplant list and remove the dead kidney. He is now undergoing dialysis. Not much fun!

*Ryan had a end of the year program at his school. His class did such a great job! I really love this age. He just cracks me up on a daily basis.

Ryan singing his song

Ryan with his friend Fritz and Fritz's little sister Elana

*Donna sent me a sweet note that brightened my day. Thanks for thinking of me!

*We are getting a new couch on Thursday. I will post pictures later.

*The kids and I, with my mom, are going to Omaha on Thursday afternoon to see my sister. We are going to go to the zoo, do a little shopping, and eat at P.F. Chang's. Can't wait!

*I have been OK'ed to do some walking on the treadmill and hopefully by the end of next week, some short distance running. I never knew what an ordeal this would be, but I know things could be worse.

I am looking forward to keeping up with my blog and keeping up with yours as well. Hope everyone is well and looking forward to the beginning of summer. Take care!!

On a Break

2007-05-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Everything is great here. Sorry to worry some of you. I am just taking a little break from blogging. We will be back soon. Can't wait to hear what everyone has been up to. Take care!

Go Spurs Go!

Thanks Annalisa for the fab good mail! You are too sweet!

Way to Run, Team Lizzie!

2007-05-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

This Sunday was the half marathon. I am proud to say that all of my friends who started the race finished. The weather did not make it easy, though. It was pretty windy at the beginning and raining. The weather did improve and by the time most of them were finishing, the rain had stopped. I loved watching all of them come through the finish line. Some tears were shed at the end since most were running with Lizzie in mind, but the tears weren't all sad tears. I was so honored and proud to be a part of this special moment. The only thing better would have been if I could have run. I will be there next year though. Way to go, my friends! I am so proud of you!

Team Lizzie! We love you Elizabeth!

Molly and Sami getting ready to cross the finish line

Laura, Eric, Sanae, Sami, Trevor, and Molly

Today I received some wonderful good mail.
Carlo sent me a package filled with lots of goodies. Love the photo clips! Thanks so much!!

Natasha sent me this fabulous Mother's Day gift. Your thoughtfulness is so appreciated!

Andrea sent me this adorable card. I love it! I need a stamp like that.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Go Spurs Go!!!

Slow Moving Friday

2007-05-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty low-key day in our household. Ryan didn't have school, so we hung around the house a bit longer this morning and then went to the gym. We stopped by Target for a few things and then I let (haha) the kids talk me in to driving through McDonald's for lunch. So glad swimsuit season is coming up (insert sarcastic voice here)!

Ryan had a birthday party this afternoon. I offered to watch their 18 month old daughter so they did not have to worry about her at the party. Alex absolutely adores her, so it was easy. She was so good and we really had a nice time. I know we all say this at one time or another, but I really need to remember to get down on the floor and just PLAY with my kids. Time is going by so quickly.

Saturday morning Jim and I will leave to go to Lincoln for the half marathon. I had signed up to do this race back in late January and had started my training, but in March, I got a stress fracture in my tibia. Not fun! I has been a long, slow journey and I still can't run, but hopefully, I can start up again in a couple of weeks. We will be cheering on many friends Sunday morning, but especially my friend Sami. Sami is running in memory of her daughter Lizzie, who passed away from cancer in October. One of our friends had some shirts made up for us spectators, so we will all be there, living life with Lizzie in mind. Please keep all the runners in your thoughts and prayers. Go Team Lizzie!!

Happy Birthday Kelly A.!! Hope you had a fabulous day!

Go Spurs Go!!!

Happy Belated May Day

2007-05-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

May Day is a huge deal here in Kearney. I'm not really sure why, it just always has been that way. Every year on May 1st, the kids (really the parents) make May Day "baskets" full of goodies for their neighbors. The children take the baskets to their friends house, ring the doorbell, and try and get away before the person sees you. It use to be that if you caught the person delivering the basket you would catch them and kiss them, but the kids don't really do that anymore. The May Day tradition is huge in my neighborhood. As soon as school lets out, it is crazy. Kind of reminds me of Halloween, just without the costumes and cold weather.

This year the kids and I took empty toilet paper rolls, covered it with tissue paper, tied one end, filled the roll with candy, and then tied the other end. We then put a sticker on it with their names. Next year I need to remember to ask Kacey with Doodlebugs to make up some cute stickers for me.

Some of my neighbors are very creative. Look and see.

I really enjoy May Day. It is such a nice way to get out in the neighborhood and see everyone and celebrate the beautiful weather. Hope everyone had a glorious May Day! Did anyone else celebrate this holiday?

SPT Treasured Item

2007-05-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

Self Portrait Tuesday

this week's challenge is to show & tell one of your most treasured items. the catch is (YES, there is a catch)... it must be smaller than a deck of cards!

This is a picture of one of my most treasured items. Jim bought me this ring in December for our 10 year anniversary. Not only do I think it is absolutely gorgeous, but it also is a daily reminder to me of all that we have been through in our 10 years of marriage and how blessed we are. We have gone through medical school, moved 1,000 miles away from home, bought our 1st home, orthopaedic surgery residency, gave birth to 2 children, spine surgery fellowship, sold our home, moved back home, bought another home, joined a practice. But most of all it reminds me of our continuing love for one another and how that love only gets stronger year after year. Sappy sounding, but so true! Thank you honey for my treasured item.

Good day, Sunshine!

2007-04-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

GO SPURS GO!!!!!

It is FINALLY warm here-82 degrees right now!! I am so happy! I was so very tired of the rain and cold weather. This weekend was absolutely gorgeous. We spent most of the weekend outside. We worked in the yard and had soccer on Saturday. Sunday the neighbors had a barbeque, so we spent many hours over there eating, playing yard games, and just relaxing. We had a great time. The kids were in heaven because the neighbors set up their tent in the backyard. All of the neighborhood kids played in the tent all weekend. I think they only came in for meals and potty breaks.

I was also lucky enough to receive some good mail this weekend.
My sister Erin sent me this sweet little package. I think I have turned her on to the idea of good mail. Now we just have to get her started on a blog.

Rachel sent me this amazing package. The box was decorated so cute! But the inside was fantastic!! She sent me some of here favorite Utah item. My husband is going to be so excited when he sees those cookies. He loves frosted cookies. Her note cracked me up. She said that May 6th is International "No Diet Day", so carb it up, baby! No need to tell me twice to eat carbs. :) Thank you so much Rachel! You made my day extra sunny.

Bad Blogger

2007-04-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have been a very bad blogger lately. For some reason lately, I feel that I can barely keep my head above water. Things felt a little out of control, so I had to stop blogging/reading blogs for awhile. But I really missed you all. I realized how much I enjoy everyone's blog and how therapeutic blogging is for me. So I am back! :)

Because of my self-imposed time out with blogging, I missed this week's SPT. I will be there next week.

I did not get a chance yet to post some good mail I received from Amanda. Thank you so much! I am using the fairy poem for a bookmark. I love looking at it everytime I pick up my book.

Friday I went to a Purse Auction for our local SAFE center. This is a place that helps women and children who need a safe place to stay if they are being abused. This organization does so many wonderful things in out community. I was so glad I could help out in some small way. I ended up "winning" this beautiful hot pink purse. I love it! I am so proud of myself for stepping outside myself and getting something other than black. I need to expand my horizons.

Ryan had soccer Saturday morning. It was so incredibly windy. Every time we stood up out chair would blow over. The kids didn't mind though. They had a blast! (Notice the hair in the 2nd picture. It is sticking straight up because of the wind.)

It had been raining nonstop here since early Tuesday morning. We have an area of our yard that likes to flood when we get a ton of rain. It hasn't gotten in our basement yet, but that's only because I have been out there three times with the sump pump to suck water out of the basement window. Not fun! I would have taken a picture, but I didn't want the camera to get wet.

Hopefully now I can get back in the grove of things and keep up on my blogging. Can't wait to read all of yours!

Good Mail

2007-04-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Today has been a busy day and I am running out of time for a lengthy post, but I wanted to make sure I posted my good mail. It made me so happy so I wanted to make sure that I properly thanked those people.

I got my Doodlebugs order today. I went a little crazy this last time, but I have some friends' birthdays coming up and wanted to get Ryan's teachers a few things for the end of school. Her products always make me smile! Thanks Kacey! (Notice the cute mailing label)

Jenny sent me a thank you and this wonderful sticker from Chuy's. I am not a bumper sticker person but I may end up putting that sticker on my car. :) Thanks for thinking of me! Hope you ate some food for me.

Donna sent me this beautiful card with a very sweet note! You are a doll Donna!

Carlo sent this sweet card and also sent me a copy of the book "The Devil in Junior League". (Whoops, I forgot to take a picture of the book ) I can't wait to read this one. I am going to be looking for someone to pass this on to when I am done, so the 1st one to let me know, it's yours when I am done.

I am working on my 3's list for tomorrow, so watch out!

SPT Post

2007-04-17T05:25:00.000-07:00

on tuesday, april 17th: $100.00 'virtual tax refund'

This week's challenge: The tax man has given you $100 and you must spend it on yourself (not your kids, husband, etc.) What would you spend it on?

I thought long and hard about this one. I am embarrassed to admit that most of the ideas that first came to my mind were way over $100. A new pair of Seven for All Mankind jeans, a Kate Spade purse, a day trip to the spa. Oh well, I guess I will have to wait on those. I have decided that with the money I would update my makeup. I am one of those people who once I find something I like, I stick with it forever. I need to get out of my rut.
A couple years ago when we were in Vegas, I was able to get my makeup done by a professional. The makeup artist used Bobbi Brown makeup. I love it! Now granted, she was a professional, and even if I used everything she did, I would not look like that again. But I really did love the products. I have bought some over the years. It is really not any more expensive than Clinque or Estee Lauder. So with $100, I could do a good job updating my look.

Weekend Recap

2007-04-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend flew by. We left Kearney Saturday morning at about 8:30 a.m. to make the drive to Kansas City for my niece's baptism . It is about a 5 hour drive, so we loaded up the car with treats, movies, games, colors, etc. to make the drive as pleasant as possible. The kids were great, especially Ryan. He is so content to look at his Pokeman cards, color, and watch a movie. Alex was pretty good, but thank goodness for portable DVD players. :)

The kids were so excited to see their baby cousin Aubrey who they had not seen since Christmas. Not being biased, but she is absolutely beautiful and as sweet as can be!! Ryan wanted nothing more than to sit and hold her. It was so cute!

Sunday during the 11:30 mass was the baptism. My sister's church did such a nice job. They had us be a part of the entire Mass. We walked in with Father, he gave Aubrey a little introduction to the congregation. We also carried up the gifts for Communion, and then had the Baptism ceremony. Father did such a nice job of explaining every thing he was doing and its significance since my sister's husband's family, who was also there, is not Catholic. It was a very special ceremony and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it as her godparent.

Matt and Kerri (the other godparents and Craig's sister, Craig and my sister Shannon with Aubrey, me and Jim

Craig, Shannon, and Aubrey with my parents. Aren't my parents so cute! :)

Now I am just trying to get laundry caught up and shake this cold Alex and I have caught. Hopefully tonight I can sit down and catch up on everyone's blogs. It was only a few days, but I don't like missing out. :) Have a great week!

Snow in April- Again!

2007-04-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

I need to start off the post with a little complaining. It is supposed to snow here tomorrow 2-3 inches. What the *&$#! It is April for crying out loud. We have already had Easter. It is supposed to be Spring. We are going to Kansas City Saturday and this better not keep us from going. I have already had to cancel one trip there. I know a lot of you are in this same boat as far as the weather goes. Is it driving anyone else to the brink of insanity?

Something positive now. I got my stinky, ugly boot off Tuesday!! I am soooo happy! I do have to wear the brace for 3 weeks, but I can wear shoes with it so no big deal. I was able to do the elliptical machine and can do some slow walking on the treadmill as well. No running yet, but hopefully in another month or so.

I took Ryan to Kindergarten Roundup this morning. He was really excited and so was I. The school he will be attending in the fall will have all day kindergarten for the first time. Ryan is ready for all day. He needs the extra stimulation. He gets bored at home in the afternoons. While the parents were having their meeting, the kids walked by with the teacher to go to the library. They were adorable, walking down the hall in a straight line with their hands behind their backs. I can't believe it is time for him to start kindergarten. Where did the time go?

Last, but not least, Hannah sent me this adorable thank you card for a book I had sent her. Notice the cute little ribbon attached to the card. What a great idea!

SPT Easter

2007-04-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

I made the mistake of not reading the SPT for the week before the weekend. For some reason, I wasn't very good at taking pictures this Easter. I took some of the kids, but none of me. Maybe it was because of the weather. I am so tired of the cold. At least Sunday was sunny, but it was still cold. I had to put tights under Alex's dress. Just not as cute.

Being Catholic, Easter is a very big deal in our house. We would always get together with my parents' siblings and their children. What I remember most is the Easter egg hunts we would have a my Grandma Bothe's house. It was this big old house with lots of nooks and crannies. My cousin Tracy and I searching all over the house for our baskets and eggs. We always had so much fun.

This Easter was pretty low key. We went to Mass and then my parents, Jim's parents, and his brother and his wife all came to our house for our Easter meal. We had a huge spread of turkey, ham, biscuits, salads, mashed potatoes, and 3 different desserts. Also, Jim's brother's birthday is Wednesday, so we celebrated that as well. We had a very nice, relaxing day. Hope everyone else has a special Easter.

Alex and Ryan finding their Easter goodies

This is the best shot I could get. No one wanted to cooperate.

Celebrating Jim's brother's 25th birthday.

A Little of This, A Little of That

2007-04-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

I don't really have a topic for my post today, so I thought I would offer you a bunch of random thoughts and happenings.

*Got passport photos taken today. We may go somewhere at the end of summer, so I need to get them done now. I don't think we will take the kids, but I am getting theirs done anyway.

*Got sucked in by clearance items at Target. Dang you Target! :)

*I am loving our new pop machine. (Yes, we are a little crazy and addicted to Diet Coke at our house.) Now if I could just find a ice machine that makes Sonic ice.

*Got the funniest, laugh out loud, pee your pants card from Jenny today. I miss you Jen!

*Thank goodness the snow has stopped, but it is still horribly cold here. It is just not right that Alex will have to wear tights with her cute little Easter dress.

*Today I asked Alex (2 1/2) to pick something off the floor for me. She looked at me with the most serious face and said, "No, I too busy". Humm, my own words coming back to bite me in the butt?

*Jim caught this shot of Alex yesterday. Poor thing, she wants to go swimming so bad. Good thing we are going to Kansas City next weekend and staying at the Embassy Suites. They have an indoor pool.

I hope everyone has a very special Easter! Thank you for sharing your lives with me! I am so blessed.

Can You Believe It!?!

2007-04-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is what it looks like outside my kitchen. It is not a lot of snow, but what the heck!?! It is 3 days before Easter. It is not supposed to snow in April. It is super cold, too. I have already washed all of our winter clothes, so the kids are just going to have to layer. It better get warm here soon, or I will lose my mind! (By the way, it is still snowing and is supposed to continue tomorrow as well)

This week has been crazy because Ryan's preschool is on Spring Break. I have done a little more yelling than normal and I am not too proud of it. I need to remember that this is a holy time of year and try and be more patient with my children. Now if they could just be that way with each other.

We decorated Easter eggs the other night. The kids had great fun! Alex thought it was the best to stick her entire hand in the dye. They made quite the mess, but it was worth it.

I have received some great good mail lately.
Jill sent me this adorable thank you note. I love it!

My mom hand delivered our favorite chips and salsa. It comes from a little Mexican grocery store in Omaha. It is fabulous!!!! (Notice the price- cheap!)

Allison sent me a package full of goodies from her trip to Hawaii. How lucky am I! Thanks for thinking of me. It help to brighten this snowy day.

SPT Challenge

2007-04-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

spt: plays well with others

Here it is, challenge of the week by Lelly:

one of my favorite comments has to be "plays well with others." elementary school social skills speak volumes for the people we will become. were you a shy child? were you the class clown? the social butterfly? do you still identify with that inner child? what are you doing for "play" this weekend?

i know it is tempting for those of us who are moms to photograph how we play with our children. i would love to see how we play with our friends, our neighbors, our siblings. are you having a game night? a date night? a girls morning out for coffee and target? will you go to a party? or a picnic? are you on vacation? do you find yourself intimidated by these gatherings, or do you jump right in and organize them yourself?

do you play well with others?

I have gone back and forth this week deciding how I wanted to do this post. I guess I have always considered myself a fairly social person. I have always been involved in social activities growing up, whether it was sports in high school, a sorority in college, or women's/children's activities as an adult. My husband and I love getting together with our friends/neighbors for dinners, game nights, sporting activities, etc. We have been so lucky since we moved back home to reconnect with many people that we knew growing up. It is so comforting to be around people that you have known for so long. And it is amazing how, as an adult, the age difference doesn't matter. My next door neighbor even babysat me a few times growning up. They are now a couple that we do quite a few things with. They were even at our house last week for cards. We feel so fortunate to have moved back to such a friendly town. For being a small town, there is always something to do. It may not be the fun a person would find in a big city, but we are pretty good at making our own fun!

Jim and I enjoying a Halloween costume party

Jim hanging out with the girls during our night playing cards

My good friend Christie. We have known each other since grade school. My husband and her husband are also best friends (see below).

Jim and his best friend since grade school. I have no idea what he and Ben are doing.

Our theater room where we hang with our friends. We watch movies here (of course) and Nebraska football games.

Okay, technically, these are not self portraits, but I figured they are about me, so they will have to do. Can't wait to see yours!! I know they will be fabulous!

April Fools Joke

2007-04-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

It was actually April 2nd, but someone at Jim's office thought it would be funny to "personalize" his car. Reminds us of San Antonio!

Good Food and Great Friends

2007-04-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we went out to dinner with 5 other couples to celebrate two of our friends' birthdays, Jeni and Christie. We decided to try the Country Club because they recently hired a new chef. The food was wonderful! My steak was perfect! Jeni had the duck special. I had never had duck before and, I have to say, it was quite tasty. We had such a enjoyable evening. I love long, leisurely dinner with good food and friends (and no children to keep entertained).

Top: Christie, me, Bridget S., Jeni, Reven, and Karyn
Bottom: me and Christie (She has been one of my best friends since 2nd grade. She and her husband set Jim and I up on our 1st date in high school.)

After dinner, two of the couples came back to our house for a bit. One of the couples is thinking about putting in a home movie theater similar to ours, so they wanted to check it out. We then decided to play the Wii. If you have not yet played the Wii, you are missing out. It is a blast!! It kept a bunch of 30 year olds entertained for quite awhile.

Top: Reven and Jeni "boxing"
Bottom: Jim "bowling"

Jim and I finally bite the bullet and bought the elliptical machine we have been wanting. We are so glad we did. I haven't been able to use it yet, but Jim really likes it. It is super smooth and very quiet. I can't wait to start using it. Maybe in a couple of weeks.

Hope everyone has a nice Sunday! Nice April Fool's Jenny!

Blogger finally let me post my pictures, but I had to do them one or two at a time. So painful!

Cinderella, Cinderella

2007-03-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Alex and I went to a mommy-daughter luncheon today to celebrate her friend Julia's 3rd birthday. Julia is all about Cinderella so, of course, the theme was Cinderella. Above are the adorable invitations that Julia's mom, Karen, made for the party. She is super talented. I wish I would have taken a picture of the cake as well. It was amazing! (She also made the cake for my sister's baby shower, if you remember that picture.) The little girls dressed up in their little princess dresses and "tap tap" shoes (plastic heels), as Alex calls them. The decorated mirrors with rhinestones (such a cute and easy activity), ate lunch, opened presents, and had cake and ice cream. One of our friends even dressed up as Cinderella for the girls. They thought that was so cool. It was a very nice party and I had a great time doing something special with little Alex.

Julia the birthday girl, Alex, Cinderella, and Breck

I can't forget to mention the good mail I got this week. Shawna sent me these fabulous slippers and a very sweet note. Thanks sooo much Shawna! I love them!!

Sign of Spring

2007-03-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

SPT (or for me this week, SPW)

Our assignment this week was to photograph yourself with signs of Spring. For me, the warmer weather means grilling. We love to grill out. It keeps the house cool and is less mess. Plus, Jim will usually do the grilling, so that means less work for me. :)

I wasn't going to use this picture because my eyes are closed, but it is a perfect self portrait of me because I always close my eyes in pictures. Drives my husband crazy! :P

Loved all of your self portraits! So do miss those bluebonnets!

Recap

2007-03-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

I need to stop waiting so long in between posts. I am going to try really hard to post something most days and catch up on my reading of them. Forgive me if I haven't commented in awhile. I will get back to it soon.

This weekend was crazy. It was super nice here which caused us to get in the Spring cleaning mode. The garage was our victim . We took everything out, used the air compressor to spray out the corners and under shelves of who knows what, and then used the pressure washer to spray out all 3 garages. I wish I would have taken before pictures. It was a huge mess, but it looks fabulous now.

Throughout the weekend, I also painted Alex's room. The color doesn't show up very good in pictures, but it is a really pretty color called Lawn Frost. We still need to put some pictures on the wall, but you get the idea. She is loving her new bed and has done well at staying in her bed. So far, we have only had one night of Supernanny, so not too bad.

Saturday night we had 3 couples over to play cards (and eat). Two of the couple are our neighbors (one behind us and one next door). They are the best neighbors. Our families have so much fun together, especially in the summer. Since there are no fences separating the 3 houses, the kids spend a lot of time running between each others homes. Sunday the kids must have spend about 7 hours outside playing. It was great! So ready for spring and summer! The adults (only) came over Sat. night and we played cards, listened to music, talked, and ate all sorts of yummy foods until 1:30 in the morning! We had not planned on staying up so late, but we were all having a great time. (Doesn't Jim look like he is really enjoying himself, surrounded by the 3 ladies. I think I need to add myself to the picture next time.)

The week started off great with an amazing piece of good mail from Amanda. Thanks soooo much! I love it!! The kissed were eaten immediately by myself and the kids. Alex wanted the magnetic notepads, but no way was I sharing those. I love the different labels she included as well. I am so spoiled!

Today I go to the doctor to see if I can take my boot off. Wish me luck! I am tired of dragging this thing around. Have a great Tuesday!

****Update****
Crap! The boot has to stay on for another 2 weeks. He said it is healing nicely, but it is still REALLY tender when he pushes on it. He said the place where the fracture is can be difficult to heal and if you aren't careful, a person can get reaccuring stress fractures. I don't want that, so I will just have to suck it up and wear this stinky thing for 2 more weeks!

I will post my SPT tomorrow on SPW (haha- I just made that up so I wouldn't feel like such a slacker). It is raining outside today and I can't get the picture I want.

Not Quite in the Groove

2007-03-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Things still feel a little crazy around here. I just don't feel like we are back to normal yet from being gone. I am still finishing the ironing and a little laundry. Now I feel like it is spring cleaning time. My garage and storage area in the basement are a wreck, as are some of my closets. I bought some organizing items today at Target so maybe that will help with the mess. Alex also got her new bedroom set yesterday, so we had to take apart her bedroom and crib. As soon as I finish the painting it, I will post pictures of her room.

I feel bad that I have not posted my good mail yet. Thanks for the stash!
Got my stationary order from Stephanie. I love it! The colors are gorgeous!

Kari sent this package full of goodies. Notice the beautiful handmade card and bookmark. There were a few more Andes mints, but I ate those right away. :)

Hannah sent me this darling thank you card. You are most welcome Hannah!

Roxanne, Lelly, Kari, and Carlo all send such thoughtful notes. I am truly blessed by all of you.

I am sad that I miss Self Portrait Tuesday. I just can't get my *&%! together. I will be back next Tuesday with a SPT post. :) Loved looking at all of your lucky charms.

To Texas and Back

2007-03-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break, we took a trip to Texas. We spent most of the time in Horseshoe Bay with Jim's mom, but also traveled to San Antonio to visit friends. We had such a nice time. I could go on and on about all of the things we did, but I will highlight some of the activities.

Tuesday:
*LONG day of traveling. Dallas had some storms which shut down the airport for awhile. This put us 2 1/2 hours behind. We got into HSB at about midnight.

Wednesday:
*The kids wanted to make cookies first thing when they woke up, so Grandma indulged them. We got to see Papa Jerry for a couple of hours before he had to take off for Austin to travel to Spokane with the Texas Longhorns men's basketball team to the NCAA tournament. Jerry is the Assistant AD for the team.

* The kids had a great time playing in the creek behind Grandma's house. They raced rubber duckies and collected rocks to paint.

Thursday:
*We went into San Antonio. Jim dropped the kids and I off at my friend's Tracy's house while he went to visit some of the doctors that he did his fellowship with. The kids has so much fun playing. Sydney is their oldest, then there is Katie. Katie and Ryan are about 6 months apart and were great friends. Then there is Nathan. Nathan is 2 days older than Alex. It was so cute to see those 2 together. I wish they could have grown up living closer to each other. We miss you all tons!

*Jim picked us up and we met the Gordon's for lunch at Chuy's. It was as good as I remembered it. It was so nice to hang out and talk with the Greg and Angie. I think because of blogging it really felt like no time had passed. Thanks for the company guys!

*When we returned from SA, we (minus myself, because of the cast) went swimming at Jean's neighbor's house. It was really only the one sunny day there. Every other day was overcast. Her pool is heated so that helped too.

Friday:
*We did a little shopping today at some cute boutiques in Marble Falls. Not much fun trying on clothes with a cast on, but did manage to buy some cute shorts.
*We also went to the park and fed the ducks.

Saturday:
*We went to Cooper's for lunch. This is a famous barbeque place located in Llano. They have HUGE fire and meat pits. You literally point to the item you want (the pork chops and ribs are the best) and they dip them in a vat of sauce. You eat your food at picnic tables with butcher paper for plates. There are loaves of bread on the table and all of the beans you can eat for free. I'm sure some of you are so grossed out right now, but the food is delicious! It is a true Texas experience.

*Jim and I had a date night. We went to an Irish bar named O'Neil's for some green beer and then went to see "Wild Hogs". It wasn't too bad. It was worth it for the popcorn!

Sunday:
*Left HSB at 6 am to drive to San Antonio.
*Finally arrived home at 6pm and drove pretty much straight to Jim's office to cut off my cast. Thank goodness! I am still in the boot for another week, but at least I can shave my leg and take a bath. :)
*Came home to tons of good mail and will post about it soon. Thanks y'all!

Hope everyone had a great week! Can't wait to catch up on all of your blogs!

Another new look

2007-03-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

There is more to add to the drama that is my broken bone. I was still in a lot of pain on Friday, so Jim thought I would probably be more comfortable in a light-weight fiberglass cast with a walking shoe. Wow!! It has made all the difference in the world. I can walk without pain, which is quite the change. Hopefully I only have to wear this for a few more weeks. We are leaving for San Antonio/Horseshoe Bay, Texas in the morning. Don't know if I will be able to update because her mom only has dial up (waaay too painful to use). Hope everyone has a fabulous week! I will take lots of pictures and update as soon as we get home (late Sunday). Take care!

I have been blessed lately with a bunch of good mail. Thank you so much!! It has really made me feel better.

A sunny card from my sister Erin.

A sweet thank you from Tara. What a beautiful card! Thanks for all the nice words.

A great Grey's Anatomy CD mix from the lovely Jenny! Thanks Jen! Hope you are having fun in AZ.

Donna sent me a lovely flowered card letting me know she was thinking of me and praying that my foot gets better soon. So sweet! Thanks Donna.

Kristi also sent me this great St. Pat's day card. I am part Irish, so I love anything with clovers! I was so touched that she mentioned that she loves my name. How thoughtful!

And finally Lucy sent me this cute handmade thank you card. Hope you are feeling better Lucy!

Cancelled Trip, Crutches, and Where I Blog

2007-03-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

This has not been my best week. Tuesday night I find out I have a stress fracture in my tibia and have to wear a boot for at least 3 weeks. The doctor had recommended crutches, but I thought I would be okay without them. I was wrong. I did too much on Wednesday, and by lunchtime, my foot was throbbing. It was so painful!! I knew then that there was no way I could take my trip to Kansas City. I didn't know how I was going to fly by myself and then take care of an infant. I felt so bad about canceling on my sister. The kids and I had been really looking forward to taking care of Aubrey and hanging out with my sister, her husband, and their 2 dogs. There were quite a few tears shed by the kids (and me) when I explained to then that we would not be going. Poor things, it broke my heart. My sister was so sweet and understanding, thank goodness. I hope she knows I would have loved to have been there. We will be planning another trip for as soon as it heals. Love you Shannon and Aubrey! We miss you!!

Donna had posted the other day about where she blogs and wondered where the rest of us blog. Usually I blog at my kitchen desk. It is in the middle of all the action, so I can still work on my blog but see what the kids are doing. Lately I have been blogging on the couch with my laptop, with my booted foot propped up on the ottoman. Much more comfy than my foot hanging down at my side.

**Where do you blog?**

(This was taken this summer. Oh, how I miss that tan!)

***A big thank you to my husband for being so helpful around the house. Love you babe! Also, to my friend Tammy who is watching my kids right now so I can have a little break and so they can get out of the house and for watching them for 2 hours on Tuesday when I had my MR. I am SO lucky to have you as my neighbor and especially as my friend. My mom also watched my children and is bringing dinner over tonight and taking my kids to a Fish Fry tomorrow night. Last but not least, thanks to Jim's step mom. She is getting the kids this afternoon to go play and then have McDonald's. They are thrilled! I love you all!!***

My New Look

2007-03-07T07:25:00.000-08:00

Isn't it sexy? I know you all want one.

As most of you know, I have been training for a half marathon in May. I have really enjoyed it and have found that runner's high that many talk about. Last Tuesday, I ran 3 1/2 and ran fairly fast (at least for me). My right ankle area was sore after, but so were other parts of my body. Unfortunately, it only got worse. I didn't run again Wednesday and only did the bike on Thursday. By the end of the week, I couldn't even do that. I tried to take it really easy, resting and icing it. But nothing seemed to work. Jim and I decided that I needed to see his partner to find out what was wrong.

Tuesday I went in to see the doctor. They took some x-rays and decided that there were some concerning things on the x-ray, so he had me do an MR. That stunk! I had to lay on my side for almost an hour, completely still. I forgot about the pain in my foot because my hip and shoulder hurt so bad from lying on them for so long. The MR showed a stress fracture in my tibia, hence the lovely looking boot on my foot. I need to wear this for 3 weeks and then we will x-ray it again. He would also like me to use crutches at home. Sounds fun, huh?

I am really bummed about the whole thing. I know, there are so many worse things in life. I am not sick and my family is happy and healthy. But I was really looking forward to the half marathon and, believe it or not, the training. I felt so strong and confident. The other thing is that we have 2 trips planned in the next two weeks. I am leaving today with the kids for Kansas City to help take care of my niece for a few days and then next Tuesday all of us go to San Antonio/Horseshoe Bay for a relaxing trip. I guess I just need to look at this as a great opportunity to rest my foot and let it heal so I only have to wear this for the 3 weeks. I will be really upset if I go back in 3 weeks and it's not healed. That would be bad.

I know things could be worse. But I am going to take a few days to feel sorry for myself and then I get over it. Take care!!

Self Portrait Tuesday

2007-03-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, this one was hard for me. I do not like most pictures of myself. I thought I would take a picture of how I look most days, especially in the mornings. Ball cap, workout clothes, running shoes. Most mornings we hit the gym, run a few errands, and then it is time for lunch and naps. I usually don't get a shower until the afternoon, so this is what I look like on a normal day.

Looking at this picture, I have to stop myself from pointing out all of the things that I don't like (dark circles under my eyes, large nose, etc.). But that will do me no good. I guess I should focus on the things that I do like and the things that people have complimented me on. I think I have fairly nice skin, which I should give credit to my mom and grandmothers for. I always disliked that I looked younger than I was, but now, of course, I love that I don't have too many wrinkles (yet). I also like the shape and color of my eyes. I am glad that both of my kids inherited my eyes (Ryan the color and Alex the shape).

This sounds so corny, but blogging and even these self portraits have helped me to become much less critical of myself. We all have things about ourselves that we aren't fond of, but we also have so many wonderful things to offer. This sounds so trite, but if we were all the same, the world would be a very boring place. I am so thankful for all of the new friends I have "met" through blogging. Thank you for sharing all of your spectacular gifts with me and each other.

Where We Rest

2007-03-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend, we ordered Alex her "big girl bed". She is very excited and I am very nervous. She can be a bit stubborn. I hope I don't have to do the whole Supernanny thing with her. We really haven't done a whole lot with her room in the time we have lived in our new home. I wanted to wait until we got the furniture and bedding that she would be using for awhile before I went to the trouble of painting her room. This is her room now. I will post the "after" pictures in a couple of weeks when we have the furniture and have it painted.

Ryan's room was done soon after we moved in. I knew I wanted a navy blue bed for him (don't know why, just did). I really loved the navy bunkbed from Pottery Barn, but did not want to spend $1500+ on a 5 year olds bed. I actually found his furniture at KMart. I love it! I know it won't last forever, but for $600 dollars, it doesn't have to.

My room is very simple, but I love it. I always try and keep the bed made and everything put away. I like to know that even if the rest of the house is a disaster, my room is not. It makes it so calm and peaceful.

I received several pieces of good mail Saturday and today. Jill. Natasha, and Dana all sent me sweet thank you cards. The card were beautiful, but the nice things they said were even more so. Kelly A. sent me some good mail. It was some Texas stickers and mints. They got me so excited for my trip next week to Texas.

**Where do you rest your heads?**
**Do you like your bedroom?**

The Thinker

2007-03-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

This is what Alex does when you ask her a question and she's not sure of the answer. She puts her hand to her chin and say, "Um, I don't 'member". Way too cute!

Bummed

2007-03-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

I am so bummed today. I haven't been able to run since Tuesday, and it is driving me crazy! My foot/ankle has really been hurting and Jim (ortho doc) says I need to stay off of it for several days. He doesn't even suggest the bike because it is the flexion that bothers it. He thinks I have posterior tendon tendonitis (or something like that-makes sense when he tells me, then I forget it soon after). It is swollen and tender. I am very disappointed! I know I still have plenty of time (may 6th), but I was in such a nice little grove and running was becoming much easier. I am hoping I can trying running again on Sunday. Wish me luck!

(Sort of a strange picture of my swollen ankle, but I feel naked posting without a picture.)

On a different note, I am getting really excited for a couple of upcoming trips. Next Wednesday evening, the kids and I go to Kansas City to stay with my sister, her husband, and baby Aubrey for four days. The kids and I are going to watch my niece for a couple days while Shannon has to work (her last 2 days, then she gets to stay home) and then hopefully we will get to do some shopping on the weekend. The Plaza in KC has so many good shops!

(Last summer in front of one of the many fountains in The Plaza)

We get home from KC Sunday evening, then leave for San Antonio and Horseshoe Bay, Texas on Tuesday morning. Jim is coming with us on this trip, so we are very happy to spend some family time together (he has been CRAZY busy lately). Jim's mom and stepdad live in Horseshoe Bay, which is a beautiful resort community, so we are looking forward to that. His mom booked her and I belated birthday facial (we both has bdays in January) at the Resort there. So nice! We also plan on spending some time in San Antonio catching up with old friends and, of course, Chuy's! Ang and Tracy- can't wait to see you all; Jenny-we will miss you all soooo much, but we will see you in October. I hope the weather cooperates for all of this travel.

**Any Spring Break plans?**

My Best Foot Forward

2007-02-27T12:05:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of Self Portrait Tuesday. What a great way to get me to look and myself and define what makes me, me.

Up until a few months ago, I would never had said that my running shoes are me. I did not enjoy running. Sure, I went to the gym and worked out, but rarely ran and if I did, only a mile. As some of you already know, I took the challenge of some friends and signed up for a half marathon. I have NEVER ran a race before. I am SO surprised by how much I have enjoyed the training. There is something so satisfying about running. I really see this as something I will continue doing. I has a long talk today with a friend about putting "my best foot forward" in life. Running is helping me to do this. It makes me feel so strong, healthy, and proud of myself, not in an egotisical way, but in a loving myself way.

This is how my feet look under my running shoes, complete with blisters and unpolished toenails. I usually do a better job at keeping them polished, but the cold I have forgotten. I think I will go get one tomorrow. I could use a little treat! :)

My kids wanted to get in on the action, too. They were so excited to get some new Crocs today and wanted their picture taken as well.

One more thing to add. Got some "good mail" today. Donna sent me a fabulous package. Thank you soooo much! It was a wonderful surprise!

**How do you put your best foot forward?"

What a Difference a Day Makes

2007-02-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

I feel SO MUCH better today. I think I am finally on the mend. I can actually eat food without feeling nauseous and my fever is mostly gone. I did not run today, but I did go to the gym and rode the bike for awhile and lifted weights. Better than nothing. After the gym, Alex and I ran to Target, where I got some groceries (couldn't face WalMart) and some good mail items. We picked Ryan up from school and then drove through McDonalds for the kids. It was a cleaning lady day and I hate messing up my kitchen so soon. :)

I need to share the good mail I received today. Isn't it funny how the good mail always comes when you need it the most.

Natasha (North Shore Four) sent me this darling carrot ornament and a very sweet note. Thanks Natasha for making me smile!

Angie sent me a nice thank you note. So nice to hear from you. Can't wait to see you soon! Jenny sent me a great note too last week. Sorry I forgot to document it Jen!

This is what my parents and I have been working on. I helped them prime and pick out the colors and then they painted this weekend. I think it is looking really nice. Can't wait for it all to be done.

We stopped by to say hi to my parents today and caught this very sweet picture of Alex and my mom. Aren't they cute!

Blogging MIA

2007-02-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

I feel so out of the loop. I have not blogged or read any blogs since Tuesday or Wednesday. Things have been a bit crazy around here. Jim has been super busy and the kids and I have had a ton to do. So I don't bore you, I will give a brief recap of the days.

Wednesday:
*Took Ryan to school and Alex had her Moms-Day-Out day so I had a couple of hours to myself. Ran some errands and then came home and spent time on the computer signing Ryan up for Kindergarten for next year.

*Fed kids peanut butter sandwiches and cheese sticks in the car so we could make it to Mass on time.

*Took kids by myself to Mass for Ash Wednesday. They were very good, thank goodness.

*Found out Jim's dad had to go back to the Med Center in Omaha because his blood tests were concerning. (He is doing much better and should be home early in the week.)

*Dropped kids off at a friend's house (thanks Tammy!) and met Jim at our CPA's office to go over our taxes. Jim had to go back to the hospital to check on a few patients, so I pick up the kids, bathed them, and put them to bed. Jim got home about 7:30, poor guy.

Thursday:
*Went to gym for 3 mile run and then ran a few errands

* Put Alex down for a nap at my mom's so I could help her paint her basement. They are in the process of finishing their basement so we needed to prime their walls. I had to leave in the middle of it because I had Ryan's preschool parent-teacher conference. So cute! Always nice to hear your kid is doing well.

*Went back to mom's and painted until 4:30. Got most of it done.

Friday:
*Ryan didn't have school because of conferences, so we went to the gym and then took the kids to Ballocity (an indoor playarea) to meet up with some friends. We let the kids run around for a couple of hours and even had lunch out there.

*Put the kids down for naps again at mom's house so we could finish painting. Finished priming and then picked out paint colors. (Forgot my camera-will take pictures later in the week)

Now this is where the fun (not!) begins...
*We had a babysitter for Friday night. We were going out to dinner for a good friend's birthday and we were going to my favorite restaurant. All sounds nice right. Well it was until half way through dinner, I started feeling sick. I was getting flushed and light-headed. I really needed to get out of there. I told Jim we should go. We got our bill and left dinner early. I was so bummed to have to be such a party pooper, especially when we had a babysitter for the night. I rushed into the house, made Jim pay the sitter, and proceeded to be sick, off and on, for the next 5 1/2 hours. It was soooo miserable!! To top it all off, at about 12:30 a.m., Ryan joined me in the bathroom where he was sick as well. We were quite the pair. Finally about 3:30 a.m., we all fell asleep till about 7 when Alex got up. It was terrible!

Saturday:
*Pretty much consisted of me lying on the couch. I didn't get "sick" but felt ill all day.

(I am trying not to notice how crazy Alex looks or how large my butt seems)

*Everyone in our house did take a 3 1/2 hour nap. That was fabulous!

*I crashed a 9 pm. It was a long day to say the least.

Sunday:
*Fell a little bit better, but still spiking fevers and having horrible headaches.

*Did get dressed (unlike Sat.) and went out to lunch for my mom's birthday.

I hope this is all over soon. I hate being sick. Needless to say, I did not get my 6 mile run in on Sunday. I hope to do it on Monday, but not sure body can do that much. I still feel so weak. Hope everyone had a better weekend. I need to catch up on everyone's blogs. I feel so out of the loop. :)

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2007-02-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

Today is my mom's birthday. I want to let her know how much we love her. I won't tell you her age, but I will list 57 things I love about my mom.

1. She is a great grandma. My kids adore her!

2. I got my love of reading from her.

3. She remembers everyone's birthday, anniversary, etc. and always sends cards. She understands good mail.

4. She loves playing bridge, no matter how much we tease her about it.

5. My mom is always willing to babysit my children.

6. We talk everyday, sometimes several times.

7. She ends each conversation with me with "I love you".

8. She quit her job as a speak therapist to stay home with us girls when we were born.

9. She is a devote Catholic.

10. My mom has been in the same Bible Study group for 20+ years.

11. She loves her 3 son-in-laws like they were her own children.

12. My mom and my dad have been married for over 35 years. What an accomplishment in today's world.

13. Traveled all around the country to watch my sister play college softball.

14. She loves all kinds of sports, especially our local high school and college teams.

15. She cries easily, just like me.

16. She is technologically challenged, but we still love her. :)

17. Mails cards to my kids even though we live in the same town. The kids love it!

18. She cans salsa and peaches and freezes corn and peaches in the summer. They are so yummy in the middle of winter.

19. She is a loving daughter and sister.

20. She is a great friend.

21. My mom is never pushy.

22. She gives everyone the benefit of the doubt.

23. She like cooking/baking special things for my dad.

24. My dad and her stil hold hands.

25. She has wonderful values and beliefs.

26. She is very loyal.

27. Her love of creamy jalapeno dip from Chuy's is as strong as mine. She has been known to carry a small lunch bag with dip in it on the plane home from San Antonio (when we lived there). She is so sad we will not be able to do that when we visit in March. Don't think the airlines would allow it anymore.

28. Loves to take long, hot baths as much, if not more, as I do.

29. She cross stiched a blanket for each of her grandkids. They are absolutely beautiful!

30. She has given up Diet Coke for Lent for many years. I don't think I have enough willpower for that.

31. She loves to rock her grandchildren to sleep or fall asleep in the chair with them.

32. She doesn't get annoyed when Alex wants to fix her hair (which is all the time).
33. She is involved in many different service organizations.

34. She helps my dad with his gym floors whenever she cans. She's very good at edging and painting. :)

35. She didn't stress (too bad) when two of her daughters got married within 4 months of each other in 2 different towns.

36. She has worked for American Greetings for many years so we are always getting cards for every holiday. We love them!

37. Loves Mexican food and Chinese food.

38. Dislikes milk and eggs.

39. She still takes care of me when I am sick.

40. My mom and I were both AOII in college.

41. Finally got to take her dream trip to Hawaii.

42. She loves traditions, especially anything to do with Christmas.
43. She can't say no to kids coming to her door selling things.

44. At least once a month travels 2 hours each way to have lunch with her mom.

45. Mom was a good sport when my sisters and I raided her closet and made her get rid of some of her old sweaters, especially the holiday ones.

46. She makes a great homemade pizza and Thunderbird salad.

47. She always has a stash of candy and gum on hand for the kids.

48. Mom is a great bargain hunter.

49. She calls me whenever she sees a great deal on something at Target.

50. Target is one of her favorite stores as well.

51. Has finally started treating herself to massages and pedicures.

52. Loves learning about history.

53. Successfully raised 3 girls with my dad.

54. She is one of the nicest people I know.

55. She loves anything black licorice tasting.

56. We love and adore her!

57. Happy Birthday Mom and Grandma! You are the best!

So Happy!

2007-02-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days when I just sat back and realized just how blessed my life is and how incredibly grateful I am for everything that I have. I am just so purely happy today. Okay, I know I sound like a total sap, but I wanted to get down some of the things that make me happy (for those days when I don't feel so happy :P ).

1. Being able to stay home with my children. I can't imagine it any other way. This is what works for our family.
2. Snuggling with Alex when she woke up from her nap. When I walked in her room, she said "Hi, Momma" in her sweet little voice, and I melted. We rocked in her chair for a good 1o minutes (good for a kid who doesn't like to sit still).

3. For running 3 miles and having it be actually easy today. Quite an accomplishment for me. I'm sure tomorrow will be different, but at least today was fun.

4. Having dinner all prepared and ready to go in the oven. No 5 o'clock struggle.

5. Cleaning lady day!!!! Need I say more.

6. Kids quietly hanging out on the couch together, sharing some popcorn. (notice their crazy outfits-too funny

7. The beginning of Lent tomorrow. I love the Easter season.

8. Going outside for awhile today.

9. My temperature gauge reading 48 degrees. For some of you, that may seem really cold, but when it has been above freezing for awhile, 48 is down right balmy. Love the sunny skies.

10. Good Valentine's Day mail from Kristi. She felt bad because it was late, but I say better late than never. :)

11. My new PCPhoto magazine. Gotta start learning more about my camera.

12. Husband coming home early today!

13. The Clouse's deciding that they will be in San Antonio the week that we will be visiting. So glad we won't miss them!

14. My husband being such a good provider, husband and father (and sooo sexy).

Hope you all had a nice day!

President's Day Happenings

2007-02-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

It was a pretty low key day around our house today. Ryan had preschool this morning, so after we dropped him off Alex and I hit the gym. It was just a stretch/strengthen day, so I didn't run. Thank goodness, because yesterday's run was a challenge and I needed a break. My ankle has also been bothering me, so it was nice to rest it. After the gym, we went to the dreaded WalMart for a little grocery shopping. I didn't have too much to get so it was doable. My friend had asked if I could watch her son for a hour while she ran to a meeting, so we picked up Ryan after school and headed home. The kids had I good time together. Alex was overjoyed that it was her friend that was over, not Ryan's, since his friends are the ones that are usually here. They played Duck, Duck, Goose, colored, played store, and then had a pillow fight in the guest bedroom downstairs. They were laughing so hard I had a hard time making them quit.

The weather is FINALLY nice here today; I even opened the windows for awhile to get some fresh air. We are going to grill out steaks tonight for dinner. Yummy! Hope everyone had an enjoyable Monday.

Saturday Slump

2007-02-17T06:15:00.000-08:00

I am in a funk this morning. Can't seem to get motivated to do much. I really just want to sit on the couch and read my book. As a result of this, this is what the kids have done so far this morning- NOTHING! I need to get them and myself moving so they don't watch T.V. all day. Also, notice the bag of Sweet Tart hearts by Alex. Good breakfast! Not winning any mom awards here today.

On a different note, look at Alex's rat nest in her hair this morning. I thought cutting it was supposed to take care of the tangles. It has only gotten worse. Do they still sell No More Tears spray?

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Jim will get home late tonight so we will have a nice Sunday. I need to throw out all of the candy in our house because Lent starts soon and I am giving up candy for it. My children will not be happy with me, but I just cannot have it in the house. No willpower. :)

Freezing!!

2007-02-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

This is all I wanted to do today. I just wanted to stay curled up in my warm, comfy bed all day long. Not because I was tired, depressed or anything, but just because it was too freaking COLD outside. I know I have been complaining a lot about the weather lately, but come on, it was -7 degrees when I woke up this morning. It usually isn't this cold for this long and I am sick and tired of it. All right, enough of my rant.

Nothing too unusual here today. Against my better judgement, we headed out. We ran to the gym, did some errand, and then had lunch with my mom and Jim. We wanted to see Jim one last time before he left for a conference in AZ today. Ryan had a friend over during Alex's nap, so that keep him entertained. We had an early dinner and then baths. Both kids were in bed by 7pm (Ryan was looking at books, but in bed; was asleep by 7:30). My friend Julie is coming over later to watch Grey's. Should be good, although it is getting a little ER-ish. What's with Meredith getting pushed in the water? Give me a break.

Hi Daddy! We miss and love you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!! Hope everyone has a "sweet" day!

My beautiful tulips from my husband. They haven't opened up yet, but I know they will be gorgeous.

Ordinary, but Nice Day

2007-02-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

Today was a pretty normal day for us. We got a little bit of snow last night, but not too bad. Since they did come through with the plows I had to go out and use the snow blower on my driveway. Jim has a 4 wheel drive, so he was able to go over it, but not me. Let me tell you, it was @*^# freezing out. My cheeks hurt SO bad. It was supposed to be a high of 10 degrees today. What!?!

After all of that, we ran to the gym so I could do my 3 miles and then ran home to take a quick shower and get ready for Bible Study. We met today at the Country Club and had lunch too, so it was extra nice and relaxing.

Jim had to do a late surgery tonight so we were on our own for most of the evening. So wish Jenny and Angie were here because they too are without husbands right now and we could have pack the kids up and went to dinner.

I did get some good mail today. Jill sent me a nice thank you note and some of her good mail stickers. I love them! I feel so official now! :) Thanks Jill! It made me very happy.

This is how I found my kids watching T.V. today. I'm not sure why they were watching it on the small tv in the kitchen, but I thought they looked pretty sweet. Lately all they seem to do is fight, so it is nice to see that they do really love each other.

A Relaxing Weekend

2007-02-12T12:31:00.000-08:00

We all had a pretty uneventful, but refreshing weekend here. Friday night we went to the Country Club with another couple and their kids. We had wonderful food, great conversation, and all of the children were really well behaved.

Saturday we just hung around the house for most of the morning. Ryan and I went to Target will Alex was napping. We were getting a little stir crazy late in the afternoon, so we went to our town's new indoor play area, Ballocity. It is a wonderful indoor playground with all sorts of areas for children of all ages. It was fairly busy because of many birthday parties, but we still had fun. That evening, Jim took Ryan to the Tri-City Storm hockey game. They had a blast and Ryan thought he was so cool because he got to stay up late (9:30- very late for our house). I enjoyed a quiet house after Alex went to bed and read my book.

Today I "officially" started my training for my half marathon. Click here to see the schedule that many of us are using. I am really excited and very nervous. I just hope I can finish!

Alex's 1st Haircut

2007-02-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to get Alex's hair cut. It was trimmed once before, but this time we took 2 1/2 inches off. She has the cutest curls at the ends, but it was looking a little scraggly (sp?). I wasn't sure how she would do, but she took her job very seriously. She did everything the lady told her, but did not crack a smile.

She was very proud of herself after we were done. I treated her to a pretzel with cheese after. I think she looks adorable!!

6 Unususal Things About Me

2007-02-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by Kelly A. to post 6 unusual things about myself. Here we go....

1. My second toe is longer than my big toe.

2. I have never been ice skating (and I grew up in a cold climate).

3. I am not Mormon (I know-gasp :) , but several of my friends are.

4. I have been with my husband since the end of my junior year in high school. We never broke up.

5. In junior high and high school, whenever I would stay up really late, I would get strep throat.

6. I am addicted to magazines- People, Real Simple, Us, In Touch are the best- but really any magazine will do.

Now it's your turn. Jenny C., Angie, and Tara, you have been tagged.

A Lesson Learned

2007-02-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

Today I felt like the worst person in the world. This morning as we were getting ready to go to the gym, my phone rang. The name and number didn't look familiar to me but I answered anyway. It was a mom of one of the kids in Alex's mom-day-out program. I don't know her, but always found her a little odd (so judgemental of me, I know). She asked if I could watch her daughter for awhile. I was so taken a back and said that we were on our way out the door (we really were, but not a good excuse). She said that was okay; she wanted to run to the hospital to see her mom. I said I was sorry and we hung up. Let me tell you, I felt about this big and absolutely terrible. What kind of a person doesn't help another when their mother is in the hospital. I sat there for a few moments feeling so guilty and horrible, so I pick up the phone, called her back, and told her I would love to watch Emily. She said we didn't have to do it right away, it wasn't an emergency, so we agreed we would meet at my house in an hour. We quickly went to the gym (ran 3 1/3 miles) and came home. I have to say, she was very grateful and her child was very sweet and polite. The kids had a really nice time together. I hope this teaches me not to be so quick to judge others that I don't know. I am always willing to help my "friends", but that's easy. I need to be more willing to put myself out there to those that I don't know. Today I definately learned an important lesson. I guess that is what life is all about.

Losin' My Mind!

2007-02-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am losing my mind today!!! My children are not listening, they are constantly fighting with each other (and me), and I had to go to WalMart today with both of them. WM is my least favorite place. I feel like we have not been out of the house in so long (okay, really only 1 1/2 days, but it feels like forever) because Alex has a horrible cough and runny nose. Thank goodness I have a treadmill at home. Yesterday I needed to run 5 miles so I am glad I was able to do that even though it had to be done during nap time. Okay, enough complaining.

Today is GORGEOUS outside. It is 50 degrees with bright blue skies and sun. I know 50 doesn't sound that warm to some of you, but when the temps haven't been above freezing in several weeks, it feels downright hot! My mom was sweet enough to come over for an hour so I could go for a run outside. I find it much harder to run outside, so I really need some extra training there before the race in May.

I now need to shower and start some laundry. The lady that cleans my house came today so I really shouldn't be complaining about anything. My mom also made some extra enchilladas for us, so dinner is done. Hopefully my kids have slept off their bad moods and will wake up in better moods.

Too Cute!

2007-02-03T09:33:00.000-08:00

Just couldn't resist posting these pictures. Gotta love it when they are all cuddled up on the couch, looking so sweet! Alexa rarely stops moving, so it's extra special when she will sit still for awhile.

Jim's New FJ

2007-02-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

Jim finally got his brand new Toyota FJ Cruiser today! It is such a cool car! I am so excited for Jim. He has worked so hard to get a new car. I always felt bad that I got a brand new car (my mini van in '04) before he did. Congrats Jim! You deserve it!!

Kids Do The Darnest Things

2007-01-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

This is what we found Alex doing today in the car. I think she was looking for buried treasures between her toes. I guess I should give her a bath again. :) When she finished with both feet, she looked up and said, "All done. Clean!"

Clifford the Big Red Dog

2007-01-25T16:41:00.000-08:00

Tonight I took the kids to see "Clifford the Big Red Dog" performance. It was at a new performing arts theater in town that I had not been to before so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a really well done and the kids had a blast. The actors did a great job of keeping the kids actively involved by having them stand up to sing and dance. I thought Ryan might think it was for "babies", but he had a blast. I think it helped that several of his friends were their as well. Alex really got into it and kept calling out Clifford's name and clapping. I am glad that I changed my mind about going. It was well worth it.

Sweet Elizabeth

2007-01-22T10:32:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you all a very special little girl named Elizabeth. Lizzie was one of the most amazing little souls I have ever known. I only met her a few times, but those moments will forever be etched in my mind. Lizzie was diagnosed with cancer 4 1/2 years ago. She fought so bravely. She was always so positive and knew she had a very important purpose for her short life here on earth. She was one of the most caring, spiritual, compassionate, sweet 14 year olds that a person will ever meet. My words are not doing her justice. Sadly, she passed away at the end of October. I did not know her family that well before this, but she was close to many of my friends and one of her best friends is in my bible study. Since she received her wings to heaven, I have gotten to know her mom. She is such an inspiration. She continues to amaze me on a daily basis. She misses her sweet Lizzie so much, yet she is still strong. I am rambling here. I wish I could express my thoughts better, but hopefully you will understand what I am trying to get across. I am asking for all of you thought and prayers for this family. Not only did they lose their daughter almost 3 months ago, but now Lizzie's uncle is sick and having surgery soon. It is just not fair. If you have a chance, please check out their web site. I promise it will leave you inspired. Please visit them at http://www.caringbridge.org/ne/lizziegirl/

Frosty the Snowman

2007-01-21T11:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, six or so inches of snow fell. It made for a little bit of a mess getting around, but Ryan sure is having fun playing in it. He even got Jim and I outside to play and make a snowman. It wasn't the best snow to make a snowman with. It was pretty light and fluffy, but we did okay. A good time was had by all (except for poor Alex who was inside taking a nap; we will get her out there next time).

It's Here!

2007-01-20T10:54:00.000-08:00

A wonderful package arrived in the mail today. I have been awaiting its delivery for a few days (the ice storm in San Antonio caused a delay) and was so excited today when the mail lady rang my doorbell with a package in her hand. I should have taken a picture of my face. The package was full of amazing goodies from my friends Jenny and Angie. Take a look.

Creamy jalapeno sauce and tortillas from Chuy's in San Antonio. It is my favorite place of all time!

Wonderful goodies from Angie. Jenny sent me a nice gift too earlier in the week. Jim wanted to invite everyone to view the "guns" show. Haha, funny boy. :)

Thanks girls! You spoil me! I am so blessed to have you both as my friends. I miss y'all tons!!!!

Sick day

2007-01-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

Well, today I am stuck home with 2 sick kiddos. Ryan woke up with a fever this am and Alex has a bad cold and a slight fever. All in all though, it hasn't been too bad of a day because since they don't feel well they have been really calm. They pretty much just want to watch movies, color, or take a bath. I, in fact, have accomplished a lot today. The house is clean, the carpets have been vacuumed, and laundry is going. I don't know how long things will stay looking nice, but at least I have some pictures to document that I did do something today.

I have a question for you all. Does this look too holiday? I got the table runner on sale at Pottery Barn. It was part of their holiday collection. I got the runner and napkins for a steal. I don't think they look to "holiday" but I was wondering what others thought.

Hope everyone can stay warn this weekend! It may snow again here Sat. and Sunday, so we'll see!