a little something to share

The Swim Suit Incident

2012-01-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

After winter and spring swim lessons and a summer at the spray park, Sam is in need of a new swim suit. Prior to Christmas I looked for the two piece Speedos that Costco tends to start carrying around this time, but they didn’t have them.

After spending hours in the pool during our Christmas trip to Los Cabos Sam’s poor little suit is now in dire need of replacement. Upon returning home we did another Costco run and we looked for swim suits, but they only had Hello Kitty ones, no Speedos.

I explained to Sam that I didn't want to these other suits because the one piece suits usually don’t fit her well and the two piece suits had a strap with clasp at the back of the neck which tends to be uncomfortable. I wanted to wait for them to get the Speedos in as they fit well and tend to last roughly 11 ½ months. Sam said "okay."

We continued our shopping. While in route to the produce I squeezed Sam's hand and said "thank you for not throwing a fit about the swimsuits." Her reply was priceless "Oh, it's okay I just forgot." To try and clarify I asked, "You just forgot to throw a fit?" Sam said "u-huh" and merrily trotted toward the shopping cart.

The family had an enjoyable trip to Mexico. While there, I continued to be plagued with frequent headaches, lack of sleep, and depression for which I am getting help. I still feel bad as this really interrupted my ability to interact and play with the kids like I’m used to and long to do again. On the last day or so I did begin feeling a bit more “normal,” but after catching the red-eye home and not being able to sleep more than a couple hours(which has been the norm since early November) I had an emotional crash.

Sam’s nonchalant comment was timed so right. Thank you Sam for helping me laugh.

A Visit to Children's Hospital

2011-12-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

I was going to write a short post about our trip down to Children’s Hospital today to once again say “Thank you” to the nurses and to deliver some Christmas comfort to those who will be inpatients on Christmas day. I have great difficulty keeping it short. :)

Sam woke up with a cough this morning so when we arrived at the hospital she was required to wear a mask. She wasn’t too happy about it. I did my best to explain why it was required and she reluctantly left it on.

It was interesting to both Mike and I that we had difficulty remembering how to get to the Heme/Onc unit, though it didn’t take long for use to recall the previously familiar route. It was nice to see a couple of the nurses who had cared for Sam 5 years ago (I wish I had gotten a photo).

Where's Samantha?

Peek-a-boo!

Sam so badly wanted to explore the unit especially once she saw the bikes and cars and when she saw patient’s artwork at the unit coordinator’s desk. I had to explain a few times that the toys are for the patients only.

When we left the hospital Sam, James and I walked over to the Ronald McDonald House. Sam enjoyed the walk and was thrilled to see Ronald on the bench welcoming everyone to the house. She wanted to go inside, but I again explained that right now due to her cough we shouldn’t go. She and I did talk about going again to see it when she’s feeling better.

Pink baby outside RMH five years ago.

Here are some photos of our little Sam from her first Christmas. I am so thankful for the generosity of family, friends, and many strangers who helped make that Christmas a little easier and happier. It felt good to know we could do a little something today and to be able to pay it forward.

Our beautiful, strong girls.

My darling baby girl.

Walking the halls on her lily pad was a favorite way to pass time.

Riding in the car was another favorite activity.

Opening gifts with family.

All smiles.

Santa Daddy

2011-12-07T23:44:00.000-08:00

This weekend Mike had the opportunity to play Santa in a Girl Scouts fundraiser for his granddaughter Jordan. Of course we had to stop by and offer support. Initially the kids didn’t know what to think.

Even without the beard they seemed to not really know what to think.

After Mike took off the beard I told Sam and James to give Daddy a big kiss. That didn’t happen. Sam just looked at me like I was crazy and James...well he was done. Who knew a red wooly suit and hat would have such a strange effect on our children.

The idea of Santa has always been a bit tricky. I believe in Jesus and that is why we celebrate Christmas. As for Mike, he was always big on Santa. Mandi has voiced that she feels that I’ve “robbed her of a real Christmas” by taking the magic away and not allowing her to believe in Santa. When Sam came home from school the other day she informed me that ALL the kids in her class believe in Santa, "but he's not real Mom, right?" I think this year we’ll look into borrowing some of the books from the church library that may help ease some of the confusion.

A Glowing Sponge

2011-12-07T00:02:00.000-08:00

Samantha is very active and very social. She loves kindergarten, though during the parent teacher conference we learned she sometimes has to be reminded to stay put on the reading mat as she tends to gravitate toward certain friends and then becomes distracted. She has also conquered the monkey bars which is an elementary school rite of passage.

Ready for pictures

This fall Sam once again energetically played soccer at the YMCA. I love that they promote learning the skills and having fun. This year Sam was the only girl on her team. I don’t think she noticed though. Mike said she was a good forward and having never played soccer I guess I’ll need to Google some soccer rules and positions so I can be supportive.

While waiting they all watched the toddlers swim.

Sam’s soccer games typically happened during James’ naptime. The one game I did attend was difficult to watch as I spent the ENTIRE time chasing James as he toddled from place to place saying “Ball! Ball! Ball!” Ohmygoodness he was busy and seriously reminded me of trying to take a puppy on a walk. It was exhausting and I felt bad I couldn’t watch Sam even though I was physically there.

His body language screams "what can I get into?"!

Found more balls.

Now that soccer is over Sam is diving back into swimming lessons. She is doing really well. Mike and I enjoy going to her lessons and watching her work on her water skills. As an added bonus there is childcare there for James and he loves it there.

Sam loves her activities. She frequently asks “How many more days until Awana?” and reminds Mike and I that she needs to learn that week’s verse. The other day when I was talking to her about Awana she said “The teacher lets me look at the verse the first time I say it, but then I have to say it without the book.” It made me chuckle because Sam doesn’t read yet.

She also likes to bring Mandi’s old Adventure Bible with her to Awana every week. When I asked if they use it she said “no”. Bibles are heavy so I asked if she’d like to leave it at home so she wouldn’t have to carry it back and forth and she said “No Mom. I like bringing it with me so that I can look at all the pictures while the teacher is talking.”

With all her activities you would think Sam would be exhausted by bedtime, but she rarely is. We have a bedtime routine that helps, and she generally adds to it by finding me for one more hug and kiss or “I’ve got to tell you something…” about a dozen times before finally staying in bed.

Part of her bedtime routine is getting a glow stick. Michael’s Craft stores sell them in 10 packs in their dollar section and I figure that is a small price to pay to help Sam go to sleep and to be able to leave the hall light off. Tonight when Sam came and found me she was glowing a little. I asked if she had chewed her glow stick, she said she couldn’t remember.

It was hard to get enough light to see her face and still see the glow.

We have talked about it before because James is not allowed to have them as he would chew on them. So this fact was reinforced after I showed her the glowing dye on her hand, night gown, and lip. We also talked about how sad it would be to not have them at bedtime anymore, so I think she got the point. She’s just cute though. With the little bit of glowing on her it brought to mind her glow art she does on Daddy’s iPad.

I love this kid. Every day I am amazed at how big she is getting and how much she is learning. She is such a sponge, tonight apparently a glowing one.

Christmas

2011-12-06T01:30:00.000-08:00

With all the Christmas decorations cropping up I was remembering how hurt I was that baby Sam would be so sick on her first Christmas. Today I am so very thankful that I can look back and talk about her "first" Christmas, not her only Christmas. As a family we talk about our Christmas at Children's, not our one Christmas with Sam. Looking back, my memories of the events of that Christmas were positive ones.

Everyday I am genuinely thankful that Sam did so well through treatment. I am thankful that Mandi understands the need for my attention to have been focused toward her sister during her hospital stays and is forgiving of the fact that I had tremendous difficulty leaving Sam for any length of time. And I am thankful that we had such supportive family and friends.

Sometimes it feels as if God turns His back. That He doesn't care. Especially on days like I've been having where I am so terribly depressed and just don’t feel right and daily tasks are a struggle. I find it extraordinarily frustrating because it’s as if my emotional brain and rational brain are in conflict. I can see good things and am thankful for so much, yet feel depressed and I just don’t understand it. I want to feel happy about all the things I’m happy about, but can't get myself out of this funk on my own and feel I am sinking fast.

I am so very thankful for the blessing that each of my children has been and continue to be. I was planning on ignoring the whole Christmas card tradition this year, but changed my mind. Once I decided to do cards the decision of what kind of card was simple...a photo card with my biggest blessings on it.

Sometimes it's hard to remember that we are each one of Gods children and that He loves us, that His love is so great that it would be impossible to imagine a greater love. So if God sent out Christmas cards does that mean that we would all be on it?

Little Sammie Sweetheart!

2011-11-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

This morning when I was brushing the tangles out of Sam's hair she was squirming and whining. I told her I was being as gentile as I could and that we could always get her hair cut so there wouldn't me so much to brush out.

Sam then began to cry and said "Mommy, I don't ever want to lose all my hair again." I really had to fight my own tears as I explained that it was the medicine to kill the cancer that made her hair fall out and that the cancer has been gone so long that the doctors think it will never come back.

I also told her "I decided back when you were a baby that if you ever got sick like that again and did lose your hair that I'd shave all mine too so that you wouldn't be the only one with no hair." Sam then looked at me. I could tell she was picturing me with no hair and she busted into one if her sweet giggles.

When Sam was in treatment we'd talk about how it was good that she was too young to worry about losing her hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. I never would have thought she’d worry about it now. She is getting more and more grown up every day.

"Look Mom, I have a big bummble be butt."

"...I even have a stinger!"

She will always be my little Sammie Sweetheart.

Not Sweet Enough

2011-11-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

My little guy has quite the sweet tooth. Apparently the cookies at the grocery store weren't up to par this day so he decided to only eat the M&Ms.

The Day After

2011-10-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

Moving hurts. I don't think I could run to save my life the more I move the better it gets. There is definitely no easy way to sit. I make it part way down but then my muscles just give and I flop the rest of the way down. I think the toilets in airplanes are much lower than standard toilets and my current condition really isn’t helping any.

Reading is also difficult. Typically, when I haven't had enough sleep my weaker right eye just doesn't pull it's weight and drifts farther than usual. This time I think it's due to the post marathon exhaustion. Hopefully it'll get better soon, until then much computer or book reading it out of the question.

What a fabulous experience and to have raised over $4,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society feels pretty good too.
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It was nice to see the kids again when I got home. Thankfully it sounds like they had a fabulous Halloween.

The Big Day!

2011-10-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

Boy, 5:30 rolled around way too fast. Half asleep I got dressed, took my vitamins, Aleve (To help prevent inflammation and soreness while running), Imodium (to help prevent runners gut), and drank water (to help prevent migraine from stress and dehydration). We got in the car and were off.

It was dark and cold. Robbie and I thanked Theresa as she dropped us off at Arlington Cemetary. She wished us luck and we exchanged hugs.

Did I mention that it was dark and REALLY cold? We were getting our bearings when Robbie said "there's the color guard. Follow them." so we did and sure enough they lead us right where we needed to be.

We parked our belongings at Robbie's tent and she got a quick group picture. We also stopped at the port-a-potties a couple of times as with 30,000 runners and the marathon having a time limit it would be really nice to avoid having to wait in a 30 minute line to use one on the course.

The sun began to rise as we walked to the starting line. We again saw the MCM mascots. We also saw a cannon which I can’t remember if they fired or not.

A couple paratroopers started off he ceremony when they unfurled the US flag and landed near the starting line.

While in line we heard a female group with nice harmonizing sing the national anthem. Two V-22 Ospreys flew over head. There was a prayer Then Drew Carry said a few words before shooting the starting pistol. Later we heard he had run the marathon, but we didn't see him.

It was REALLY COLD!!!

It was hard to keep my regular running pace with so many others zooming past. There were loads of sweatpants, hoodies, gloves, hats, and socks strewn along the edges of the road. Good thing the boy scouts pick them up after the marathon.

As we ran there were loads of people cheering and ringing cow bells. My name was on the front of my jersey and I kept hearing "Way to go Karla!", "Keep up the good work Karla!" and "Go Team!"

The MCM course is nice in that the bigger hills are at the beginning and then it levels out. At about mile three I started wishing I had used the port-a-potty one more time before the start. It didn't help that men kept running off wherever there was greenery to go pee. They weren't subtle at all either. It's so unfair! We did see a few women duck into the more dense bushes...well one practically went in the open, but I didn't need to go THAT bad yet.

Come mile seven I was getting uncomfortable, but again couldn't see wasting 30 minutes! We were right on pace and stopping to wait in line would set us behind nearly two miles. So both Robbie and I started looking for a place we could duck out. Jokingly I asked Robbie if she thought any of the marines on course would have a blanket they could hold up so we could duck behind and pee. She laughed.

As we continued to run we spied a construction area with privacy fencing and decided to just squat behind the fence. Fortunately, when we got on the other side of the privacy fence we saw two port-a-potties. Better yet there was no line! We quickly took advantage of that and got right back on course.

It was fun to chat while running and just take everything in. We saw the Royal Marines and a few soldiers from Denmark. They were in uniform with packs on their backs. We saw a runner dressed as Smurfette, Snow White and Wonder Woman. There were also several dressed with wings or tutus and lots wearing stars and stripes in red white and blue. Mostly what I saw was "running in memory/honor of______."

The sounds on the course were memorable too. There were interval watches chiming for those, who like Robbie and I were doing run/walk cycles. There were helicopters buzzing overhead. There were many spectators on the sidelines cheering us on. Marines were also stationed nearly every 1/4 mile and they were cheering us on too. At every mile marker there was a marine with a bullhorn yelling out the time since the start if the race.

I found the sounds at the water and food stations amusing. The marines would hand out water and Gatorade to the runners I'd hear splash ca-thunk as the runners dumped out what the didn't finish and throw the paper cup on the ground. Okay, my description is singular, now imagine 25+ runners doing that all at the same time. It sounded like it was raining paper cups. So as we made our way through the station the sound would change to 25+ runners stepping on said discarded paper cups, followed by the scuffing of hundreds paper cups.

Where they handed out orange slices instead of water the sounds were similar but instead of a kerplunk they made a cersplat sound followed by runners grumbling as we all tried not to slip on the discarded orange peels. And lastly the sticky suction sound as we got back on the cement with orange juice and pulp coating the bottom of our shoes.

We were keeping pace and doing well to beat the bridge (for more details check out this link). When we got to mile 20 I was hurting. I was still really pleased with myself because in training the farthest I'd run was 16 miles.

Miles 20-22 were tough. The start of the bridge is mile 20 we still had to maintain pace to get over the bridge before they had to reopen it to traffic. I know I wasn't the only one feeling it. Most of the runners around us looked about how I felt...they looked like the walking dead.

It was also around mile 20 that my hands swelled up. My fingers were really tight and it reminded me of Sam's first day at Children's when she was pumped full of fluid. She kept looking at her hands while opening and closing her fingers.

I saw my TNT coach at mile 22. There had been several TNT coaches who had stepped in from the sidelines and ran with us for 1/4 mile or so. It was nice to talk with them and hear what motivated them to get involved with TNT.

After mile 22 we adjusted the run/walk intervals to allow for more walking. I really needed this as my muscles were starting to poop-out.

At mile 25 I was ready to be done. My legs reluctantly obeyed when my brain said "run." we kept going. After all, at this point it just wouldn't make sense to turn around and go back.

At the end of mile 26 I could see the finish line. It was up a hill. That's so mean! What's meaner is that Robbie said we were going to run the last 0.2 miles. I started to protest, but she just grabbed my hand and ran. My legs were NOT happy with her for doing that. We did cross the finish line running. We then had to walk about 1/2 a mile to get back to the tent where our stuff was and back to the TNT tent so they knew I finished safely.

Finishing feels good. My body was completely exhausted; in that regard it felt similar to childbirth (there is proof in these photos taken on the course by the official photographers). There were a few times where gravity seemed to pull stronger this way or that way. Thankfully there were people close by that I could grab onto briefly to keep from falling over and only once was it a total stranger.

On our way home we snacked a little and Robbie and I briefly talked about the next one we'd do. We also tried to talk Theresa into doing a marathon.

Dad texted and asked me if I was sore. My reply was this: "...If I was crossing a street and a car was coming I'd just let it hit me. I walk like I've been in a cattle drive for 20 hours. :)" This is true too; there is absolutely no way that I’d be able to pick up the pace, my body was shot!

After a shower and dinner with friends we headed out to see some monuments.

We saw the Vietnam War Memorial,

the Vietnam Wall, the Vietnam Women's Memorial,

the Lincoln Memorial

(the stairs nearly did me in), the Korean War Memorial, and

the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

When we got back I briefly organized for the flight home in the morning and the crashed, straight to sleep.

The other Washington

2011-10-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

We got up early with plans to take the Metro to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. We were just about to the Holocaust Museum when a guard approached us and said they were closed until 10. Bummer!

We ended up having a nice visit in a coffee shop before braving the torrential rains to hail a taxi to the Capitol building.

Our tour was scheduled for sometime in the ten o'clock hour. The tour was nice. I am continually amazed by how grand and ornate the buildings and decorations here.

Inside the Capitol Building are statues that each state has donated and they are scattered all about. We were fortunate to stumble across the statue from "The State if Washington.". Apparently not everyone calls our state Washington and DC "the other Washington."

I loved the inscription at the base of our statue. "My plans require time and distance." Ain't that the truth! 6 months of training while fundraising and a goal of running 26.2 miles (not to mention all the distance covered in training).

After the Capitol building we walked through a tunnel to the Library of Congress. The exhibits were impressive. We saw Thomas Jefferson's library and wondered if he lived today if he'd have time to get anything done or if he'd simply spend all day on his Kindle.

We were also taken by an Aztec purging stick. It was used to empty the stomach before meditation and ceremonies. Both Theresa and I speculated that had we been Aztecs we just wouldn't eat to avoid using it.

We had hoped to walk around and see the monuments, but due to the cold and buckets of rain coming down. We decided to head home. good thing too, because soon after getting to Theresa’s house it started to snow.

This sign for TNT was at the top of one of the Metro exits.

That evening Robbie and I attended the Team in Training inspiration dinner. Just walking in while a large group of TNT-ers were cheering and making loads of noise was quite overwhelming. I tried hard to keep from crying. The dinner itself was nice. It was good to meet up with the Bellingham group.

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When I was packing for DC I did so anticipating for insomnia. There's the time change and the excitement of the marathon and sleeping in a bed other than my own, so I just figured I'd play it safe and pack some medication to help me sleep. I never needed it. I was so tired.

Even this night, the night before the longest run of my life, I was tired. Robbie and I buzzed around planning how we would stay warm and pinning our bib numbers to our running shirts and setting out everything we would need to take with us in the morning. When I was finished and my head hit the pillow I was asleep.

Pciking up race day packets

2011-10-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

I slept like the dead. I could still be asleep. Ugh the clock says 8:17 but I KNOW it is much earlier as I'm still of Pacific not Eastern time. My body knows it is much earlier and my eyes aren't cooperating.

I am up early instead of sleeping as we need to get to the MCM runner's expo to pick up our race day packets. Typing that sends a bolt of nervous energy right to my gut...

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So we got our packets for the race at the DC Armory. There were lots of uniforms. The health and fitness expo was okay. I needed a waist pack for my Gu. I also picked up sleeves so that I can keep my arms warm and peel them off when I start getting too hot.

Miles and Molly the Marine Corps Marathon mascots.

We then went to the Smithsonian museum of Natural History. It was fun to walk around and look. It was weird to be able to think without interruption.

We parked by the Old Post Office. I thought the old postal employee (Dad) would appreciate this.

We had fun. I loved the RACE exhibit.

Heading off to DC

2011-10-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

The morning started out very early. I was up and in the shower by 2:45. After putting just a couple last minute toiletries into the suitcase Mike and I headed toward the airport. It was chilly and dark.

Checking in was uneventful. I was kind of shocked that they haven't started mandatory strip searches on all passengers and was relieved to only be required to remove my shoes and coat.

After the security check I headed to the bathroom. It was there in the first stall to the left that a feeling of solitude swept across me. It just felt so strange to be in a bathroom without Sam jabbering away in the neighboring stall and without James "talking" away while trying to get into everything.

For the first time in over eighteen years I boarded an airplane alone. I found my seat and was shocked at how close it was to the seat ahead of me. It's a good thing the kids weren't with me as I don't think there would've been room, especially when seat in front of me reclined.

The flight went quickly and smoothly. The sunrise was beautiful. I kept my hands busily knitting and managed to complete one washcloth before arriving in Denver. It was the smoothest landing I've ever experienced.

While at the airport I ran and got a postcard to send off to my friend Melissa who is trying to get a postcard from each state to help the children she is teaching in Nicaragua about other places in the world (if you could help out and send a postcard her information can be found here).

There a quick stop in Milwaukie and on to DC.
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Again, it is strange flying without the kids. I've actually been able to have conversations with people sitting next to me. DC in 35 minutes.
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When we landed in DC the clouds were several different shades of grey. It made for an idealy beautiful backdrop for the Washington Monument and Jefferson memorial.

Robbie (my sister) and Theresa (Mike's niece) met me at the airport. We met up with Daron (Theresa's husband) and headed to Old Town Alexandria for dinner at Bugsy's Pizza and then crossed the street for super wonderful delicious ice-cream. The food and company were fabulous.

The buildings and brick sidewalks look so different from the oldest buildings in Northwest Washington. The proportions are different, tall, thin, and narrow. The busses were decked out to look like trolley cars. And some of the buildings even had gas lanterns that were flickering playfully in the cool wet air.

We enjoyed a nice evening chatting and comparing stories of travel, military service, and children. It was a good day.

Individual Pizzas

2011-10-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve had great difficulty lately fixing dinner and eating at home. I do typically have a meal plan for the week and do the weekly shopping for those written out planed meals…and then end up going out for fast food. I could give you several reasons for why this is, but why go there?

Together, Sam and I came up with some dinner ideas for this week. Dinner tonight was Sam’s suggestion- pizza. I tweaked her suggestion a little by suggesting we make our own individual pizzas.

We used to make personal English muffin pizzas when I was little and we always had a blast doing it. Instead of English muffins I made half this focaccia bread recipe I’d found in a Pike Street Market cook book I had borrowed from the library. It’s been our go to pizza recipe for many years now.

4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages quick rise yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ¾ to 2 ¼ cups hot water
Salt and pepper

Mix together the first three ingredients in a large bowl. Add 1 ¾ cups hot water and stir well. If dough seems to dry, add a bit more hot water until if forms a ball. Turn onto floured board and kneed until smooth. Place in a lightly greased mixing bowl, turning once to grease surface, cover and let rise in warm place for at least 30 minutes. * Flatten dough into pan until ¼ to ½ inch thick, cover and let rest in warm place until puffed, about 20 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle top with fresh or dried herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Bake in 450 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned and puffy.

*Separate the dough into four pieces (eight if making the full recipe) and flatten each piece onto a pizza pan. Top with sauce and your favorite toppings. Follow baking instructions above.

Sam wanted pepperoni on her pizza so I bought a Hempler’s pepperoni stick and thinly sliced off several rounds. Since the pizza was so small these mini rounds worked really well.

Sam said her pizza was delicious and ate one entire pizza…crust and all!

Fear

2011-10-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

I had this last Sunday off which was wonderful as the kids and I were able to head off to church early in the morning. James was fabulous as he has discovered that nursery is actually fun and loves all the “new” toys. Sam quietly colored beside me in the santuary.

The second song of the service was “Blessed assurance.” I whispered to Sam to stand up as I thought she’d enjoy singing the refrain. She snuggled right in next to me and joined in with the congregation singing “This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior, all the day long…” Earlier today while playing with James she was quietly and sweetly sang this refrain.

The scripture readings were Deuteronomy 1:19-33 and Romans 8:14-17. The message was on fear and having faith when facing our fears. With my first marathon being next Sunday and having expressed many fears regarding the marathon, such as 1) will I get lost in a sea of 30,000 runners 2) will I get hurt 3) will I be laughed at for going to slow 4) will I be able to finish withing the time limit? …this message was exactly what I needed to hear and be reminded of. Although it’s not yet on the web the sermon should be posted here soon.

The service ended with the song “Because He Lives.”
    Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
    Because He lives, all fear is gone;
    Because I know He holds the future,
    And life is worth the living,
    Just because He lives!

I don’t think there’s an “amen” at the end of that song, but I have to just say AMEN!

That afternoon was the harvest festival at church. The kids had a wonderful time.

Today's Long Run

2011-10-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today was my longest run leading up to the marathon (October 30). I was really pooped after about the sixth mile, looking at the elevation chart you can see why.

I was aiming to stick to the trail and cross Alabama Street using the bridge, but got a bit turned around and missed the bridge and had to run on the sidewalks and up part of Alabama Hill.

On this particular run, I missed the bridge. At Marine Corps Marathon there is a bridge at mile 20 and a 14 minute/mile must be maintained until then in order to “finish” the marathon. My time today would not have been fast enough to make the bridge which has me a bit nervous for the actual marathon. I ran 16 miles in four hours.

When I was near home I saw Mike walk out toward me. He helped me up the front stairs and into the bath. He had kindly ran to the store and picked up a couple bags of ice and had the ice water bath ready for me.

Two nevers happened today. I never thought I’d spend my day off run/walking 16 miles. I also never thought a tub of ice water would feel good. And it felt SO GOOD! I ended up putting additional ice packs on my knees, though I'm pretty sure I'll be walking a little funny tomorrow.

I love the descriptions of the passing MCM miles written here.

Family Day

2011-09-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we overslept, not by much, but enough that we would have had to rush to get Sam to school. Since school started Sam has complained that she doesn’t see me enough and that she should only go to school on the days I work or I should only work on the days she has school.

I saw our oversleeping as an opportunity to “take a day” and play hooky. I used to do this periodically when Mandi was little too. It was always a nice break to just enjoy the day without having to rush. It also left both of us feeling a little extra special.

Mike agreed with my suggestion. I called the school and then we got ready for our family day. As I’ve read fabulous things about it on other blogs we headed South to the Everett Children’s Museum.

It was wonderful. Sam zipped here and there and explored almost every area (she didn’t see the water area, but I had packed extra clothes just in case). We did spend a lot of time on the rooftop play equipment, the theater, and the craft station.

Mike showing Sam how it's done.

Busy kid exploring EVERYTHING!

James liked digging too.

Rescuing animals.

He put the hat on himself. This little guy LOVES hats.

Everytime Mike would get up, James would pat the seat and call him back. He adores his Daddy.

Sam making Grandpa Bob's famous pizza. She could have stayed all day.

What a great place, I’m sure we’ll be back again soon.

Auntie...

2011-09-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week my sweet Auntie Marge died. Although her death wasn’t a surprise it was hard news to hear.

Grandma J, Auntie, & Grandpa J

Auntie was so dear. She was full of love, always took the time to listen, said things that empowered those around her, and had a huge heart.

I will miss Auntie, her laugh and hugs, her cheerfulness and musical insights.

I love you Auntie, thank you.

You can find Auntie's Obituary HERE.

I'm Lovin It!

2011-09-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

After a summer of applications and interviews Mandi landed her first paying job. I wouldn’t exactly say that she’s lovin it, but she is thankful to be working. Isn’t she just too cute?

I seriously almost started crying when I saw her working. I’m just so proud of her.

Mandi also just started classes at the community college. I think it was a fabulous decision for her to work on her associates there until moving on to a four year university.

I remember being 18. At the time it sure seemed like time couldn’t move fast enough. I just wanted to move on to the next thing. It is so easy to get impatient and board with school and work. And although it is new to Mandi I’m sure she is feeling similarly (or soon will).

I wish I would have known then that experiences build upon one another. A class might seem really stupid and not pertain to the area of study, but if you don’t learn the material you’ll be stuck the next quarter when they build upon that.

The same goes with work, at times I thought “I’m better than this” and that served as fuel to keep at it in school. In retrospect, each job taught me something and proved to be as valuable in experience as it was for those paychecks.

I love you kiddo!

John 3:16

2011-09-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

Samantha just started Awana and loves it. The Bible verse she needs to memorize is John 3:16.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

To help her remember she drew what the verse means. Without help she drew Jesus on the cross and a woman brining flowers to him at the foot of the cross.

When we were talking about it she said, "Mom, did you know that story is for real?!?"

Ready, Set, Go!

2011-09-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Sam loves school.

She has already made several friends and has been invited on two play dates. By the time she gets home, Sam is exhausted (aka cranky) and in need of a snack and a little quiet time. The snack is easy, the quiet time…not so much.

James misses his sister tremendously. He wants to go with her in the morning because he loves his sister and he loves the morning walks.

So far this week he has been less clingy after she leaves, but as soon as she gets home he is ready to show her how much she is loved and immediately starts picking on her.

After a summer of searching and frustration Mandi got a job! It wasn’t her first choice, but she is thrilled to join the employed. Her first day of orientation was yesterday and it went well. The first day of the quarter for Mandi was today. I didn’t get a chance to touch base with her yet, but I know she was eagerly anticipating both work and school. She was ready.

They are all growing up so quickly there are times it makes my head spin.

Training

2011-09-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

Here’s just a little proof that running is exhausting.

On this particular day it took EVERYTHING in me to get out of the house and get going. My goal was to run three miles straight. I didn’t make that goal, but I only required one walk break in the first two miles. In the last mile I went back to my walk/run cycle. Overall I was happy with the run especially since it followed a very busy exhausting workday.

I’m in the final leg of my training and am thrilled with all the money that has been raised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The fundraising was a major stress at the beginning of this journey, at this point it is the training.

My new arches and shoes are working out well. I’ve been running and cross training 5 or 6 days a week. Due to the delay in getting the new arches and shoes my training schedule is a bit off. This makes me so nervous. It is difficult to find the right balance with training. I don’t want to under-train and be unprepared; at the same time I don’t want to over-train and get burned out or injured.

As I have never participated in anything like this and as October 30th draws near the thought of running each of the first 20 miles in 14 minutes or less is looming over me. The marathon is 26.2 miles; so far the farthest I’ve run is 13!

I’ve frequently joked that I’m “pregnant” with a marathon. A lot of the emotions are similar as to when I was pregnant with the kids. 1) I’m excited and nervous. 2) Running, training, and race day are never far from my mind. 3) I’m hungry or tired all the time. 4) My body aches in ways that are foreign to me. If you could please pray for strength, safety, and endurance I would greatly appreciate it.

The Big Day!

2011-09-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Getting ready this morning felt a lot like December 23. There was a lot of anticipation and a lot of excitement as I packed Sam’s first day of school lunch. After breakfast, brushing teeth and hair, getting dressed and backpack ready we headed out for the first day photo.

Then as a family, we walked Sam to school. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was out and there was an autumn crispness to the air. Sam was thrilled when she saw other kids heading to school. This walk was a rite of passage that she was enjoying.

We got to school and walked Sam to her class (it amazed me how many parents were there with huge Nikon type professional cameras). Upon entering the classroom James immediately started crying. I think he thought we were dropping him off at nursery/kids club. He quickly settled down and Sam quickly settled in. Mike and I got a quick kiss and hug before Sam turned to devour one of the many books that were setting out for the children and we turned to leave.

In an email we received from Sam’s teacher last week she wrote “Take the cue from your child if s/he is ready for you to leave - don't forget that last hug and kiss :) Quicker good-byes really do leave drier eyes.” I just didn’t realize that she was referring to the parents’ eyes.

This final picture is a bit blurry, perhaps it's because the photographer was fighting back the tears, or maybe it’s the fact it was taken using a cell phone, not a Nikon, but most likely it is blurry because it’s absolutely impossible to take a photo in focus when holding a wiggly toddler. At any rate, it clearly says Samantha. She has been certain all summer that upon starting school she would want to be called Samantha, not Sammie. The teacher knows that Sam went by Sammie through preschool and said she would help.

After school Samantha said she had a good day and that she was hungry. She has been in a fabulous mood all afternoon. This is one kid who was really ready to head off to school. And wouldn’t you know it, Mom and Dad did okay too. As for baby brother, he really missed Samantha, who his constant source of entertainment.

Tomorrow is a big day!

2011-09-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

Our sweet baby girl.

Samantha starts kindergarten tomorrow. She’s excited and a little nervous…I’m excited and nervous for her (and myself). I know she’s ready, it just seems so soon!

She's getting to be such a big girl!

After all it was only a short time ago that Mandi started school.

Mandi's first day of kindergarten.

So much bigger between K and first grade

Mandi's first day of 8th grade.

I know it won’t be long before James we’ll be walking James to his first day too.

Our sweet baby boy.

It’s an exciting milestone and I pray her first day goes well.

Our happy-go-lucky little one.

Summer's End

2011-09-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else amazed at how quickly night comes now that summer is at its end? It leaves me wondering when I’ll be able to run…guess I’ll be having to run with the kiddos in the trailer again.

The nice part about summer ending is bedtime is getting a little easier.

James has been going right to sleep lately. Yes with three plugs just in case he one or two disappears during the night.

As for Sam, she usually stalls.

This particular night she stalled enough to become a ballerina before falling asleep.

A New Old Love

2011-08-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

Last month we visited the new American Girl store in one of our local malls…the seed was planted. Sam thought the dolls were really fabulous. My reply to her was the same as when Mandi wanted a My Twin or American Girl Doll. “Yes they are, but they are really expensive.”

With Mandi I gave her my 1970’s Fisher Price My Friend Doll, who was ironically named Mandy. She really enjoyed playing with the doll who came with the case and all the clothes that I had initially received her with.

Mandy and I on the swings.

So I started looking on ebay for another Mandy doll for Samantha. I found several, but many of them were priced more than the American Girl Dolls. I figured I’d keep looking and maybe find one in good condition for a good price by Christmas time.

After a week or so I was getting a bit discouraged. I was a bit nervous as I had never ordered anything off ebay, so I talked to my sister about it to get her opinion on different dolls I had watches on. She talked it over with her daughter and made a very generous offer. She asked if Sam would like her doll. And the countdown for Jenny’s arrival began; countdown, because Grandpa was going to bring Jenny home with him when he returned home from a trip.

Every other day or so Samantha would ask “When is Grandpa coming home?” She was looking forward to seeing grandpa but we all knew it was because she was pining to meet Jenny.

She would also frequently ask to see pictures of Jenny. It got to the point where I save a picture of a Jenny doll from ebay onto my phone so that I wouldn’t have to search for a photo every time she asked to see her. To pass the time Sam made matching bracelets for her and Jenny (we used one of her current Fisher Price dolls to gage the size).

Sam’s one complaint was that she liked the Mandy doll better because “Mandy has hair like mine.” Samantha really does look a lot like the Mandy doll, but I figured she would still love Jenny when she arrived.

Sam was thrilled when Grandpa unpacked Jenny. She hugged her and dressed her and brushed her hair and played and loved Jenny. Watching her reminded me of Toy Story 2 when Jessie was taken out of storage and was played with again. It was very sweet.

However, Sam would still make little comments that she would be happier if she had Mandy instead, or that Jenny was lonely and that I should order a Mandy doll so they could play together. I reminded her that it was very generous of Auntie Robbie to give Jenny to her and that she came with the same case and similar clothes as what Mandi’s Mandy had. I explained that she was given Jenny out of love, but just didn’t seem to be able to get through to her.

I then explained to Samantha that we don’t get to choose our children, God chooses to put parents and children together. I continued to tell her that she has hair that looks similar to mine, but I would still love her if her hair or eyes were a different color, this Samantha understood. We then had a huge discussion on that if God wanted to He could have given Samantha any color of hair…even purple. Five year olds are so much fun to talk with.

Sam has been taking very good care of Jenny. I suppose it can be a chore some times as Jenny frequently has a fever and is currently nursing a broken arm and broken back. She has lovingly kept the braids in Jenny’s hair that she arrived with (she’s probably had those braids in for the last 20+ years) and changes her clothes several times a day.

Today I finished this dress for Samantha to wear for the first day of school.

She was thrilled and then asked if I had enough “favric” to make one for Jenny too.

It warms my heart that she loves her new doll so much.

Finally Getting It

2011-08-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

James is finally "getting" the walking thing. He is so proud of himself. Not to be outdone we had to go to the park so Sam could tackle the monkey bars again. They're growing up so fast!

A Big First & A Big First

2011-08-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

So the first big first is in regard to James.

He stood all on his own and then really began getting into it. What a HAM!

The next big first happen after years of practice and a summer of dedication.

Can you believe it?!? This playground right of passage is huge. Sam was so proud. She had me take a total of 3 "bideos" until she got it just right.

Nine Years in the Making

2011-08-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

When Mandi was 9 years old, I found the book The Quiltmaker’s Gift. It is a darling book with a fabulous message of generosity. Mandi loved this book too and we read it a lot. One day I found the companion book that had lots of patterns for the quilts illustrated in the book Quilts From the Quiltmaker's Gift. Then I got this crazy idea that she would like to make a mother/daughter quilt with me.

We looked through the book and picked out a quilt that would be fun, interesting and not too hard. We then went to the store and Mandi picked out all the fabrics. As with most things where mom gets overzealous and the daughter doesn’t want to hurt mom’s feelings and still really wants to something with mom that is more fun and less work, the quilt didn’t happen.

A little time passed and I cut and sewed the friendship star blocks. More time passed and I got the blocks sewn together actually resembling a blanket. Lots more time went by and I sewed on part of the border. Years passed and I finally finished sewing on the border.

Then I got the idea in my head that I would stop dragging my feet and finish the dang thing. So I assembled the backing, laid the layers out and started pinning, stepped back, stretched my back, got back on the ground to continue pinning and thought “Forget it! I don’t want to tie it.”

Less than two weeks ago I broke down and started calling people who quilt (I have only done piecework). I spoke to Debbie who gave me a quote and said she would even sew the binding. We met and I handed over the pieced top, batting, and backing. Today we met and I picked up a beautifully finished quilt.

I love the quilted design we decided upon. It has stars and hearts and swirls that give it movement and really complement the fabrics Mandi chose so long ago.

I kept it a secret this whole time (nearly two weeks) and could not stand to wait for Mandi’s birthday to give it to her. I gave it to Mandi tonight.

She likes it! I’m so happy that I bit the bullet and had it professionally finished. It is absolutely beautiful, just like Mandi. Happy Birthday Sweetheart...just a little early. :)

Rehearsal for the Big Day

2011-08-17T01:53:00.000-07:00

My training has been a bit modified for the last several weeks due to foot issues. My new shoes finally arrived and they have helped. Until my new arches arrive running has been minimal, just 30-45 minutes every other day and no long runs. My new arches arrive Friday. I really hope they do the trick. Here is a photo from one of my recent runs.

Physical training is definitely a big part of getting ready for the marathon. Mental training is another component. It’s hard to run farther than you ever thought you’d be able to only to run farther two weeks later and farther in a couple weeks after that and so on with the goal of running the ridiculous distance of 26.2 miles.

I learned a lot from running the Chuckanut Foot Race. Knowing that I’d need additional practice running in the race setting is one of the things I learned. It’s similar to preparing for a piano recital. Learning the music is important, but playing it for as many people as you can leading up to the recital is also important as it helps to get some of those nervous bugs taken care of before the big day. Because of this I have signed up to run the Bellingham Bay Half Marathon.

The Chuckanut Foot Race capacity was 800 runners, Bellingham Bay Marathon’s capacity is 2,500. The Marine Corps Marathon capacity is 30,000 (yes, that is four zeros) and it filled up 28 hours and 4 minutes after registration opened! I think this half marathon will be good practice.

Yikes! I seriously can’t imagine being in a group of 30,000 runners. Guess I’ll just have to get over that stage fright. Thank you for supporting me and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Busy James

2011-08-14T23:44:00.000-07:00

James is such a busy boy lately. Well, I guess he always has been busy. He crawls FAST. He charges head first at whatever he wants and is normally wearing a smile while he goes. He is not walking independently yet, but I don’t think it will be much longer before he realizes that he can do it on his own.

He loves to climb up on things. It’s funny because where walking is concerned he is cautious like Mandi was. At the same time he is very daring with other things like climbing, though she wasn’t a climber Sam was always quite daring too.

For the last several weeks James has been saying “ball.” I’m not quite sure how he figured it out as none of us have worked with him with it, but it’s very sweet. While in Port Townsend we picked up a brightly colored rainbow ball for him. It was lost for a short time and was found again today so all morning we heard “BALL! BALL! BALL!” (This isn't the ball, but I'm pretty sure that's what he is saying in this shot.)

James communicates well. He pats the top of his head to indicate “hat” and then waves “bye-bye” when he wants to go outside or to the park to play. A few months ago he would screech at the top of his lungs when he wanted something, now he signs “please” and if it’s something he really wants he signs “please” and gives two little grunts. Then he’ll say “thank you” by mimicking the intonation that we use when saying “thank you.”

The other day at Costco James was getting really upset. He kept signing “please.” I was having difficulty figuring out what he wanted. I gave him some of the chopped onions off my plate and he was thrilled! Sam used to love raw onions too. I find this very sweet as when Grandpa Bob has lunch at Costco there is usually more onion than hot dog.

James tries hard to talk and frequently rambles in baby speak. It’s so sweet. I really do need to catch some of it on video.

At the end of the day James has been doing really well going straight to sleep and has been sleeping well through the night.

When I check on him at night I'm amazed that he can look so big and so little at the same time.

His new thing at bedtime is to have three plugs, one for his mouth and two for each hand. He moves around a lot in his sleep and I figure by having the multiple plugs he is able to find a replacement easier than if he has just one. (Is is just me or does the gecko look like he's trying to sneak one of Jame's plugs?)

Life is full and this little man definitely makes it busy too.

A Fun Date

2011-08-13T01:12:00.000-07:00

Last week Sam and I got to go on a mommy/daughter date. The day started off at CreativiTea. Sam always asks to paint a figurine which my practical brain has a hard time embracing. I steered her toward painting a mug or bowl. She decided on painting a mug for Grandma Marty with plans to save it as a Christmas gift. Because of this she made sure I took a photo that didn’t show the mug.

After painting we briefly met up with Daddy and James for lunch at McDonalds before continuing our date at the movie theater.

While waiting for Grandma's mug to be glazed…she had to wait a WHOLE WEEK. She convinced herself that Grandma would need the mug sooner. Grandma loves the mug and uses it frequently. I need to get a photo of Grandma with the mug.

Instead of her mug artwork here is Sam holding a picture she drew of Woody. I think she did a fabulous job.

A Little Forgetfulness Goes A Long Way

2011-08-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

The best time for me to train is after the kids have gone to bed. For a cross training day I decided to bike to the fabric store. I really had to keep up the pace to get there in time to get to do any shopping (good motivation).

I got to the fabric store in decent time. I locked my bike and enjoyed being able to look around without feeling rushed by board kids or spouse. I am such a fabric junkie and was thrilled to find a few fabrics that would work with some projects I’ve been working on in my head. ;) I think I might have even found a little inspiration while walking up and down the rows of color and texture.

When I was all checked out I put the fabric in my purse. I ended up taking it all back out a couple of times because I just couldn't seem to find my bike key.

My bike lock has spent the last 2 years stuck on top of my handle bars. I didn’t bike at all last summer and when I dusted off and pumped up the tires this spring, I simply couldn’t remember the combination. I had written down one combination in my address book, but apparently it was for Mandi’s bike lock, not mine. I couldn’t help but think of Mathew 7:3-5 when I found out it was Mandi’s combination. I gave up, left it on the handlebars and sprang for a new lock…one that takes a key. I put one key on my keychain, and the second with the shed key on a separate key-ring.

I figured these locations would be safe as I usually have my keys and even if I didn’t, I’d have to use the shed key to get my bike out of the shed and would therefore, have the key in my hand! Well, on this particular night I was so worried about getting in a workout and getting to my destination in time that I completely spaced out and put the stupid key back on the hook before heading out.

As the kids were already in bed and Mike wouldn't be able to leave them I decided to call my mom to run to my house, get the key and bring it over to the fabric store....where's my phone? Apparently I forgot my phone too. Needless to say, I felt a bit like a dork.

Fortunately, the woman in line behind me let me use hers. While waiting for mom I was able to figure out the combination on the chain on my handle bars, Woo Hoo! When mom arrived the store was closed and it was getting dark, so we just loaded the bike in the back and drove it home. We all had a good laugh. I seriously can’t believe I did that.

If the Shoe Fits

2011-08-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

Shoes! It might sound a little cliché, but my little princess LOVES shoes. Actually my little prince and nearly grown princess love shoes too. With school starting just around the corner it is time for new shoes for Sam.

(Sam took this photo herself.)

Last year I ordered some very nice mary-janes for Sam from Land’s End on sale. They are fabulous shoes and lasted her through the entire year and even with hard play remain in very good condition. I was thrilled to catch a similar sale this year at the end of July and decided to splurge for these fancy garnet mary-janes.

It was the last day of the sale when I was ordering these and another pair of shoes, but was trying to find another item or too at a good price so that I could get free shipping. I had finally made my final selections and went to check out when all the prices jumped. It ended up that the sale ended at 11:59 CST.

I was ticked, called the 1-800 number and a real person answered the phone. I was shocked and thrilled that I got to talk to a real live person! She was very pleasant. Not only did she adjust all the prices back to their sale amounts, but also gave me the free shipping. It was worth the hassle. The shoes just arrived and Sam loves them! I hope they work as the toe of the shoe is a bit more narrow than last year's model.

It’s funny to think that School will be starting soon when it feels like summer has only just begun. Every year we have had a tough time finding good sandals for Sam. Mom always bought Salt-Water Sandals for Robbie and I and I always got them for Mandi too.

I bought several secondhand years ago for Sam.

Recently, I haven’t been able to find them in her size until last week. We found them at Kids Northwest which is a fabulous children’s clothing store. They only sell great quality clothing items, shoes and have a few toys too. Sam was thrilled with her new Salt-Water Sandals and has been wearing them ever since.

While there we picked up a new pair of shoes for James too. He is SO close to walking and will need them when he finally decides to get running. He is so funny. Although he can remove his own socks and shoes he can’t get them back on and will frequently hold the shoe up to his foot and make and little grunt asking for help to put them back on.

The kids aren’t alone in getting new shoes. I initially loved the running shoes I got back in April, but they just weren’t cutting it when I started running longer. I tried putting my prescription arch supports in them, but that didn’t help either and my feet continued to hurt. Because of that, I ordered new shoes that several runners I’ve run with have recommended. I also followed-up with my doctor to see if I needed new prescription arch supports, and I do.

My new shoes arrived last week and I’ve taken them on a couple short runs without pain, but need to wait for my new arches before resuming full training. This “break” is making me nervous because I want to keep my training on course. I’m thankful to have the time before the marathon (October 30) to address these issues and look forward to the challenge of those long runs once again.

Last Weekend

2011-08-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

We had a lot fun last weekend. It started with dinner out at Jeckyl & Hyde Deli, which was okay, though I still really miss Orchard Street Brewery that used to be there.

Sam’s favorite part was drawing with chalk on their blackboard tables.

We then headed over to Mallard’s for fresh-made ice cream. James was happy with vanilla, I had a hard time choosing between licorice or ginger. They have a bunch of truly unique flavors and every one I’ve ever tried has been fabulous!

(James does normally wear a shirt, but we forgot his bib, so the shirt came off as he is quite the messy eater.)

When we got home Sam ran off a little energy in the sprinkler.

And that was how the day ended.

On Saturday we decided to spend the day at Port Townsend.

We all enjoyed walking through the small town, looking in the shops, and spending the day together.

Sam liked finding pretty places to have her photo taken.

It was really nice.

Driving

2011-07-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

Mandi started driver's training today. :)

Her face is still a little puffy from having her wisdom teeth out last week. I have a photo of that too...well, after the procedure anyway, but I don’t think she’d appreciate me posting it here. Poor kiddo, the anesthesia really threw her for a loop.

Last Wednesday evening my car was hit. Thankfully neither of us were going very fast and thankfully the kids weren’t with me. When I got struck, it felt exactly like the bumper cars at the fair.

I feel bad that Mandi is now learning to drive in a car with a saggy bumper. The insurance adjuster was over today, hopefully it will be repaired soon.

"Brown Stuff"

2011-07-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Last night Mandi and I got to see the final Harry Potter movie. We didn’t get home until after 12:30. The morning came quickly James woke around 5:30 or 6, nursed and went back to sleep, and even though it was light outside I really just wasn’t ready to be up and at ‘em.

When Samantha woke up this at 7:30 she came into our room and asked Mike and I, “What is the brown stuff in my bed? I don’t know what it’s called, but it is not poop.”

To be clear on things, I don’t like waking up to a screaming alarm clock, nor do I like waking up to other shrill noises, but I really don’t like waking up to phrases like this! Half asleep, I told Sam, “Shhh, don’t wake up your brother…it’s probably just dirt or something, I’ll take care of it when James wakes up.”

As Sam started going back upstairs to play in her room James started screeching from his crib (yes, another loud noise that gets me out of bed). I dragged myself out of bed, wrapped James back up and gave him a couple pacifiers to quietly play with and then sleepily headed up to Samantha’s room to check out the mystery “brown stuff.”

I was not prepared for what I saw. It wasn’t dirt. There were clumps of “brown stuff” on her bed. I started moving things around to find a source and found a lot of “brown stuff” on her pillow and sprayed on the wall near her pillow. So I did the mommy smell test and it was faint, but it was there. It was vomit!

Let me clarify, I have been a mother for almost 18 years and I have worked in the healthcare setting for nearly as long, 11 of those years as an RN providing direct patient care. NEVER, in all that time, have I encountered a single person who had an emesis in his/her sleep. Yikes!

At this point I’m actually awake a little and am taking inventory on how much clean-up there will be, one of her books ended up having to be pitched, but other than that most of her bed time toys were washable.

When I told Sam that she had thrown-up in her bed she said “No I didn’t.” I had to convince her that she must’ve barfed in her sleep. As I’m starting to wake up a little more, I actually see Sam and that her hair is all matted on one side, time for a shower little one.

Both Sam and I were in disbelief over the fact that she could get sick and sleep through it or be so tired that she just did it and slept in it (Ewwww). She did have a busy day yesterday, BUT STILL…

I’m keeping my ears open for bugs that might be going around, though it is strange that this is the third time in about a month that Sam has ‘tossed her cookies.’

As soon as Sam was all clean she said she was hungry and asked for breakfast. I know in years to come I will sleep-in and miss the days where the kids would wake me up at the crack of dawn, but some mornings it’s hard to remember that childhood is brief. The rest of our morning was uneventful.

Little Cowboy

2011-07-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

This is what James did this afternoon.

Can you believe that he doesn't walk on his own yet, but he will STAND on the horse's saddle and rock?

Here's just a few of the beautiful photos Ashley captured of our little cowboy.

Thank you Ashley!

Fast Feet

2011-07-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Sam, James and I went on an evening walk to Sam’s new school and back home. Sam wanted to ride her scooter and I said okay. Once we reached the school she was done scootering (is that a word?) and wanted to walk. Well, she didn’t really want to walk, but I told her that she didn’t need to squeeze into the stroller with James and that walking was good practice for fall. So she reluctantly walked.

Once we were about half of the way home Sam was lagging behind. She was a way behind me. I knew the more I slowed down the more she would slow down, so I encouraged her to pick up the pace a little.

Me: “Come on Sweetheart we’re almost home.”
Sam: “My legs are tired.”
Me: “Just run a little and then you’ll be caught up.”
*pause*
Me: “Come on you can do it.”
*pause*
Sam: “Fast feet. Fast feet. Fast feet. Fast feet.”

Hehehe. I thought it was so cute because last week when Robbie and I were training I really had to work on keeping pace. Robbie would encourage me by saying “Come on, you can do it.” She then told me that by saying “Fast feet” repeatedly you can quicken your stride and would tell me “Come on Karla…fast feet. Fast feet….”

I now have proof that NOTHING slides by a perceptive five year old.

We had made these fairies before our walk. She was thrilled.

A Trial Run

2011-07-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

This last week has been a challenging one. Starting on July 5th I had a stomach bug. It was a hum-dinger and I didn’t waste time recruiting medical help. I made it to work on Thursday, but ended up calling in on Friday as Mike was exhibiting similar symptoms and knew he’d need my help with the kids if he got as sick as I had. At that point I still wasn’t holding down much solid food myself.

Earlier in the week I had been looking forward to Saturday as it was the Chuckanut Footrace, but by Friday I was really dreading it as I was so far from feeling 100%. I really felt like crawling back to bed for about a week. Thank you Robbie for all the encouragement, training tips, and time in helping me through this because Saturday arrived whether I was ready or not.

Although the footrace was just a little over seven miles it served as a good early rehearsal for the marathon (October 30). Robbie and I had run the trail the week before, but I was surprised at how differently it looked with nearly 800 people running on it at one time. All those people made me nervous, and I wasn’t expecting to feel that way.

Mile 1 was a little tough, because I had been so “off” in the previous days I simply didn’t feel ready. At mile 3 something happened, my vision seemed to fold in on itself and get flashy and that is how my migraines start. I couldn’t believe it, how dare my body do this to me. Robbie stayed by my side and helped talk me through rooting me on and helping me keep pace.

The miles went by and I was appreciative of the trail’s familiarity from the previous week. As we neared the finish line the sound of fiddles and cheering could be heard through the woods. I really wanted to finish, but my body wanted to slow down. Robbie grabbed my hand and RAN. I’m not sure what her exact words were, but she basically said “C’mon, lets finish this thing!” And that is exactly what we did.

We crossed the finish line having run 7 ¼ miles in 1 ½ hours. That works out to be just about a 13 minute mile. We didn’t linger at the finish line festivities. My head was really starting to throb…I needed some pain medications and a dark, quiet room.

Overall my feelings about this run were mixed. I was disappointed because I knew I could do better. I was happy because it was over and because I had finished it faster than I have previously run before. I was comforted to know that I didn’t have to do it alone, Mom brought us to the race and said “are you already done?” when we called to be picked up, Robbie was by my side for every step, and Mike was there to allow me to train before and to rest afterward.

What I learned through this event that will help in preparation for the marathon is:
1) I will feel stress which is similar to any performance I have ever been part of
2) Hydration early enough before the event is important
3) I will not be running the Marathon alone

A Wonderful Day!

2011-07-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

This morning started off wonderfully. As we pulled in to the church parking lot this is what I saw.

What a random place for this beautiful little poppy to grow. Isn’t it beautiful?

Sam sang in church with several other children who had attended last week’s vacation bible school. They were so full of energy and sounded very sweet. James survived nursery for the second Sunday in a row. I was actually able to focus on the sermon for the second Sunday in a row. It was a wonderful morning in many ways!

Feeling we couldn’t let the sunny afternoon go to waste we packed the kids’ suits, towels, sunscreen and one bucket and then started driving while discussing where to go. We ended up at the Semiahmoo County Park.

There were so many shells on the beach that our walk was initially slow going.

Sam wasn’t exactly thrilled with the live baby crabs that Daddy found, but she didn't run screaming either. She was just wanting to get more shells.

James really wanted to get out of the carrier and get into the water.

We were lucky to find a sandy patch and both the kids were thrilled.

Sam loved dance-running back and forth.

James couldn’t wait to get into the water and feel the sand...

...and splash...

...and taste the sand.

He thought it was yucky, but had to taste it again before he stopped putting it in his mouth.

Sam was so cute. She asked if we could walk to Mexico, then when I told her that over there (in the background) was Canada. Her comment was "WOW! Canada!" :) Little goofball.

I know sand goes EVERYWHERE, but I seriously wasn’t prepared for the amount of sand I found in James diaper.

Though it was obvious that the kids wanted to stay longer, they were cooperative when we said that it was time to go. It was a wonderful afternoon! (Sam's hat fell in the sandy water and she didn't want to wear it anymore...Silly Daddy!)

When we got home both Sam and James rinsed off in the wading pool as Mike and I thought that would probably be the best way to get the remaining sand off of their little bodies. Poor little James was shivering in the water so I took him out to warm up, only a few minutes later he was trying to get back in.

The evening ended with us all in the living room listing to music, reading, and having a little fresh popped popcorn. The kids were in their jammies and both settled to sleep without any fuss. It was a wonderful evening!

Today as I watched and played with the kids all I could think is how wonderful it would be to just make the moments last a little longer…keep them in my memory for years to come. It was a wonderful day!

Up and Running

2011-07-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today was a “long run” day. I’m not a morning person and wasn’t feeling terribly motivated, but that’s where group trainings are helpful…so is having a supportive sister who is a long time runner and marathon veteran.

On my way to the trail I picked Robbie up from Mom and Dad’s and away we went at 7am on this Saturday morning.

It was a beautiful morning for a run. Our initial plan was to run seven or so miles, but once we got on the trail and got to talking time and distance seemed to escape us. When we realized the time we turned around and headed back to the car.

All in all we ran for nearly three hours and covered 11.26 miles. Half a marathon is 13.1 miles. It was exhilarating to look at the screen and realize our accomplishment.

It also felt good to reach this goal because, according to the training set forth for beginner runners in Jeff Galloway’s book Marathon You can do it!, this is precisely where I should be by week 10 of training. It’s hard to believe that there is only 17 weeks left until the big day.

If you are interested in supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, please visit my fundraising page here.

Sam's Shirt

2011-06-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

Grandma Marty got this shirt for Sam for a preschool graduation gift. When she looked at it she said "Mommy, why did Gymboree put me on a shirt? Is it really me?" It sure looks like it to me Sammie. ;)

Sam and Cousin Myles goofing off.

James' Visit to the Doctor

2011-06-29T21:30:00.001-07:00

Mama got board waiting for James to be called back at his one year well child visit.

To keep me entertained James took each book off the shelf and threw them on the floor so that I could have something to do. After all, who wants to take a few minutes to sit still and read a magazine or something.

As soon as James realized that I had picked up all the books he was quick to go through them all again. I think he must’ve seen a doggie in this book, that’s the shape his mouth makes when he makes a very sweet little barking noise.

Yeah, after picking up all the books a second time I decided to sit in front of them and play with some of the other toys. Initially James wasn’t too sure of this dinosaur (I’m pretty sure this dino has been in the play box about 25 years). I tried to tell James the story of Jurassic park.

He wasn’t much interested. He decided to play Godzilla instead, defeated the dino, took the car and then...

...Linda called James back for his well child check right when he was trying to make a run for it.

James is growing and developing well. The doctor commented that James is very tall and thin. He is now 30.5 inches tall and weighs 21 pounds! James is quite a wiggle worm, toward the end of the appointment the doctor said “Wow! I’m getting tired just watching him!”

That’s my boy!

A Strawberry Day

2011-06-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

I’m loving summer. The warm weather (I think we got above 65 degrees today), the sun (it only sprinkled a little…no puddles), and the fresh local produce (it’s strawberry season).

Today Sam had fun coloring while James was napping. She took this picture herself. I still love the striped socks.

When James woke up we headed north to buy strawberries straight from the berry fields. I couldn’t wait to eat a few, I figure it was clean dirt on the berries. While we were already so far north we headed to the Lynden park.

Dad and Sam

James and Mom

Throwing rock on our way to the car (she only needed to be told about 12 times that it was time to go and to keep walking toward the car).

This is Sam’s current favorite plate. I got it as a freebie from the Diabetes and Heart Health Wellness Fair.

I love that it is clear about how much of each food type should be eaten with each meal and shows a variety of each. It’s been a nice educational tool for Sam and a nice reminder for Mike and I.

James doesn’t understand the plate. Lately he’s only wanted fruit and berries. For dinner he smooshed green beans and threw them on the floor, took a few bites of pancake before throwing it on the floor, ate a little Morningstar sausage before rolling them into his bib trough and ate lots and lots of STRAWBERRIES. (This picture really doesn't do justice to exactly how bathed in berry juice James was)

You can’t get better than freshly pick local berries. I think James knows this and wanted to save some for later...in his hair.

Dinner ended and rather than trying to clean dinner from James’ hair, face, neck, arms, hands, and various other places with a little washcloth, the kids headed straight for the bath.

Sam leaned in to James and exclaimed “James smells good.” She sniffed him again and said “He smells like strawberries.”

Yes, today was a nice summer day.

Today's Run

2011-06-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

At 90 minutes today’s run was the longest to date. Toward the end of the run we passed this fish ladder

It was a good run made even better when at the end I checked my phone and saw what I had accomplished, a 14.02 minute mile.

When I run the Marine Corps Marathon I will need to run a least a 14 minute mile. It feels good to be so close to that goal knowing that I still have several months to train and improve on my current time

Sweet Princess & Silly Brother

2011-06-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

Sam wasn't feeling too great today. She didn't eat lunch saying "my tummy hurts." She wasn't running a fever and wasn't acting sick so we headed out to dinner.

I love that Sam seriously dressed the part of a five year old, from her tiara to the stripy socks and sparkly shoes. She got lots of smiles from the grown-ups who saw her.

After dinner we headed over to look around our favorite toy store, Fairhaven Toy Garden.

James enjoyed the walking toys, then he started to bark. At first I couldn’t see what he was barking at. When I looked straight up I saw why…

…it was because of this doggie mobile. Sweet silly James.

While James was exploring, Sam was busy figuring out this marble toy.

Then she asked to leave. She has NEVER asked to leave before. Poor sweetheart, she really must not have been feeling well to ask to go home.

Sam did end up getting sick on the way home. This is the second time this month that Sam has had tummy issues. I’m starting to worry a little and think I plan on calling the doctor if it happens again.

Library Day!

2011-06-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

Today was special because Mike and I split up and spent time separately with the kids. He and Mandi had plans for dinner and a movie. While James was napping Sam and I tried figuring out what we were going to do.

As the family has grown we’ve found that periodically doing these separate outings works for us and the kids, giving each child a chance to do something that she wants to do without having to worry about if the sister wants to do it.

Since James is SO BUSY it was a bit tricky to try and come up with something special for Sam that James would tolerate. After a bit of thought Sam came up with a fabulous suggestion…the library! It was a nice afternoon so we decided to bike there.

I didn’t bike at all last summer and we’ve only been out a couple of times this year and my legs let me know it! Pulling the bike trailer with two kids whose total weight is right around 60 pounds is much different from a few years ago when it was just Sam in the trailer.

Sam was thrilled when I told her she was now old enough to get her own library card.

She put it to good use borrowing two books, two CD’s and two DVD’s. She had a blast and that’s what it was all about.

A Sunny Day in June

2011-06-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, this first picture isn't at the park, but it provides a small glimpse into the daily happenings at our house.

See my silly Sam? She's making faces in the mirror. See little James? He is sitting between my feet. See the bottles of soap and lotion on the floor? Those are there because James likes to open the drawers and pull EVERYTHING out of them. Occasionally he puts them back too, but that is rare.

Due to his busyness and ever increasing mobility (right now he is crawling, but I’m sure he’ll be running soon) we purchased new baby gates and installed them this week.

I hope they do the trick. He’s a smart boy. They had only been up one day and look, he’s already trying to open them. What a little turkey!

Today was a beautiful day! So with Sam’s help, I set up the wading pool in the back yard. Silly Sam, she had her swimsuit on even before she had her breakfast. Due to the water in the pool being close to freezing Sam and I made plans to have picnic at the park. Not just any park would do, we had to go to the spray park.

Sam was thrilled to use her flip flops.

We found her goggles when looking for her suit. Good thing they’re tinted because it was bright out.

Little Mister Busy enjoyed the picnic too.

He enjoyed the flowers. At one point he stuck the stem in his mouth and just let it hang there for a second or two, he looked so Huck Finn like. Of course I wasn’t quick enough to capture that on the phone.

Little boy blue or is it is Sunbonnet Sue, I haven't decided, but he sure is cute.
We had a blast! I’m looking forward to the rest of summer.

Sounding it out

2011-06-20T23:31:00.000-07:00

This is James. He was enjoying eating raw onions and pizza at Costco this afternoon.

He was cranky because he didn’t have a nap. He didn’t nap because he is cutting a molar, has a cough, and otherwise would somehow manage to wake himself up after being quiet for five minutes.

Here is James reading Baby Bug (a fabulous infant/toddler magazine)

When I was taking the above photo of James reading, Samantha was talking to a pre-school friend on the phone. Sam asked her friend what she was doing and then replied “coloring. You know, COLORING…Cu-uh-ring!” Hehehe I love that she slowed down and sounded it out (sort of). I guess Sam won’t be much of a phonetic speller.

She is getting so big! When did that happen?!?

Then again I guess time just passes quickly sometimes. Here's a photo of my sister (how much does she and Sam look alike?), Dad, and me (the one with frosting all over her face).

2011-06-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted, so this will be a short post and please be forgiving of typos and spelling errors. ;)

First things first, Happy Father's Day!

Artwork by Sam. I think that's a picture of Mike. :) Pretty sweet.

Tonight's run was fantastic. As it is a new week I increased my running interval from 3 to 3.5 minutes, my walking interval remains 2 minutes. I haven’t run in three days, so I really wanted to push myself. My goal was to run to the Fairhaven green and back home, this would total 8.2 miles.

The run was going quite well, I was finding my stride when Sam said “Oh, dear!” I asked “What?” “Momma, Momma, look a dear!” Sure enough, on the outskirts of downtown was a dear walking down the street.

I put my phone away and kept running. We ran through town and then onto a trail. Sam was chatter-boxing most of the way. Once on the trail I really began to wish that I had applied bug repellant, I think we have some Alaskan mosquitoes visiting, they were huge and aggressive. They also provided great motivation to run…run flailing my arms and dancing around to keep them from landing and sucking my blood, but I didn’t do it like that…well, not for very long anyway.

With this run I could really feel the weight of the kids when we were running up the hills, but I did it and once I could breathe again it felt good. :)

We didn’t make it all the way back home as the kids were getting antsy. We stopped so they could play at the park. They did quite well considering it was already bedtime. While at the park Sam found a friend, an agate, a few shells, a dead crab, and lots of other things.

James was busy too, he found a twig and stuck it in his mouth, a rock and stuck it in his mouth, another piece of wood and some dirt and yes, stuck those in his mouth too. Which is why he got stuck back in the stroller and wasn’t the least bit happy about it!

It was a beautiful evening. It was fun to spend time with the kids. All in all I ran/walked 4.6 miles in just under one and a half hours. I thought my time should’ve been better, though I was pushing an extra 60+ pounds the whole way.

I am always amazed about the details that one can soak in when biking or running that just go by too fast to notice when driving or riding in a car. It was a beautiful night.

A Twilight Stroll

2011-06-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

The garage sale to help raise money for Team in Training was today. As rain was expected we ended up having it at my parents’ house where everything could be set up in the garage.

I received lots of donated items which provided a nice variety of items for the sale. Dad spent most of the week setting up. Thanks Dad and Mom.

The garage sale was a success, surprisingly it was mostly clothing and kitchen supplies that sold. We’ll most likely be having another sale in the near future as there are still lots of things for sale.

Over the last few days I’ve been plagued with insomnia and this morning was woken-up from a deep sleep by a severe head ache. Due to exhaustion from lack of sleep my training has gotten a little off track. I figure I’ll need to get back on track starting tomorrow and run regardless of pain and tiredness.

Though I didn’t run, Sam, James, and I took a twilight walk around the neighborhood. Lately we’ve been doing evening walks. The kids love it. James watches everything and it seems to help him relax and when we get home he has been falling asleep without a fight.

Sam has enjoyed riding her scooter or bike and exploring the neighborhood. Here’s a video of Sam in her new Giro Rascal Helmet. This was the first time she had a reason to use the flashing lights at the back of the helmet.

Unfortunately, once we reached the next block Sam got distracted and had a spill. She skinned her elbow and was crying, but smiled for the camera.

I loaded her into the stroller with James where he wanted to play with her helmet. Sam wasn’t happy that James wanted to play and with a commanding voice any elementary school teacher would be proud of said “James you have to be nice to sister! I’m hurt.” Poor little sweetheart.

It only took a few minutes to get home and in that time Sam settled down though she was keeping a close eye on her wound. As soon as she saw Daddy she started crying hard (it was past bedtime at this point).

Sam let Mommy clean the scrape...

,,,and was thrilled that Ariel was on her band-aid.

What a trooper!

Random

2011-06-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here's just a few random things to share tonight.

1) I use different utensils when cooking. This one is special to me, it was a wedding shower gift from my Grandma Lois. I don't like using it because I don't want to wreck it. It's nice having Grandma in the kitchen with me when I cook.

2) For the last several weeks I haven’t been able to find my Fuller Brush hand and nail scrubber. This saddened me because it is the best hand scrubber ever made and it reminds me of both my Dad and Grandpa Frank. Two important men in my life who would always use their Fuller Brush hand and nail scrubber and Lava soap after working hard in the yard.

I was so happy to find it today I had to take a photo.

3) Sam absolutely loves my Aunt Dee Ann. Dee Ann has special needs and frequently gets the girl's names mixed up...actually, she just calls them both Mandi. She loves the kids and gives them small gifts for almost any occasion. Today Sam found a card that Dee Ann had written on one such gift. Sam said “It needs a picture. I think I’ll draw one here.” And that is exactly what she did.

When I asked, she clarified that the one on the left with the red hair is Auntie Dee Dee and the one with the blue hair is her.

4) Last night James went to sleep around 8:30 pm other than one squawk around 11, he slept until 6:30am, nursed and then slept until 10am. It was wonderful. It gives me hope that he’ll soon be sleeping though the night.

Of course, I have a feeling that tonight is not the night. He’s already been up once.

5) I couldn’t figure out why I kept thinking ‘red vines sound good.’ Then I realized the red straws I recently purchased highly resemble red licorice, silly me. I definitely will not be buying a pack of red straws again.

6) Finally, Sam showing off the “magic” trick that she can do with the birthday balloons.

The true magic is the way that a five year old sees the world. What a wonderful gift that she shares that with us every day.

Mandi's Graduation and Party

2011-06-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

Mandi graduated from high school on Friday.

She sang the National Anthem. She was fabulous!

Does this girl look happy or what!

Proud Dad.

The grad party was Sunday. We all enjoyed visiting with family and friends.

I got lots of photos of family and friends eating and talking, but the posed ones turned out best. :)

The food turned out well too. I think the kids liked the chocolate covered strawberries best.

Congratulations Mandi!

We are very proud of you!

Messy Fun

2011-06-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to a goodbye party for a friend. We don’t attend a lot of grown up play dates, but this was a lot of fun.

Sam and the other children didn't seem to notice that it was kind of cold. She and her "new best friend" had a blast playing in the water (Burrr!), playing the sand, and just being kids.

It was on a private beach so the kids had a fair amount of freedom. I they were both drenched by the end of the evening.

Note to self: anytime we’re around water bring a change of warm clothes for the kids ~~even if~~ especially if it seems too cold to go into the water.

It was really nice to visit with friends. As an added bonus I brought cupcakes for donation, they were delicious!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2011-06-07T03:06:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Birthday James!

I love you!!!

On this date last year...

Sam's Room

2011-06-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

Sam and James had been doing well sharing a room, up until a few weeks ago anyway. Then one night they took turns waking up crying, each time one would wake up the other. It was at this point (sometime around 3:30am) Mike and I agreed that the time had come for Samantha to graduate to her own room.

As I emptied out the spare room in preparation for moving Sam in, she was apprehensive and I reassured her (Mike and myself) that it would be okay and that she’d enjoy having her own room. Once the big things were moved in, she helped me fill in the gaps with toys, dress up, and lots of little things that had been “put up” since James became mobile.

During this moving process Sam had a spring to her step and hummed the whole time. IT WAS SO SWEET! She was thrilled to have her own room! Thrilled to have her jewelry box, necklaces, and little knick knacks where she could play with them daily. She was so excited to direct me where to put decorations and where to showcase her school artwork. It was fun.

With this move comes the reminder that Sam is growing up, I am so happy that she is. I look at her and can’t help but wonder “where did my toddler go?” When we walk she still holds my hand. It is so dainty and fits so well in mine and it reminds me of holding Mandi’s hand when she was little.

Kodak summed it up best “Where are you going my little one..”

A Great Day!

2011-06-04T23:43:00.000-07:00

Today was group training with TNT. As James hasn’t been sleeping real well he was up when I was. Sam too has been waking up earlier, so I work her up and asked if she’d like to join James and I on a walk. She said “Yes!”

Policy does not allow me to bring kids to group training so the kids and I went on a walk with the goal to hopefully meet up with the group right at the end of training. It was a beautiful morning, and we did get a chance to meet up with the group.

The second part of the morning plan was to allow Sam to shop at Fairhaven Toy Garden for James’ first birthday present. Unfortunately it was still early and they open at 10.

We called Daddy who came and brought us to breakfast...

Someone eating near us commented on James' tallent of holding a bagle and cup at the same time and alternating from eating/drinking with ease. ;)

... and then we returned to the birthday shopping. Sam did a good job picking out a toy for James right away so she could get busy playing.

James enjoyed playing too.

It was a full morning and James fell asleep on our way home and ended up taking a 3 hour nap.

During James’ nap, Sam was fortunate to go visit Grandma and Grandpa. She helped Grandpa in the garden where she made friends with lady bugs.

She also got to fly a kite.

It was a beautiful, wonderful day. I feel a great sense of accomplishment as I was able to walk/run a little over 4 ½ miles in about 1 ¼ hours.

The Sam quote of the day was said to James: "Maybe you can not scream when someone is talking!!!" I'll give you one guess who was doing the talking. ;)

A Busy Boy

2011-06-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

James has been a very busy boy lately. He isn’t walking yet, but does pull himself up and cruise around the furniture to get into lots of things he shouldn’t.

Tonight while I was trying to do one little thing this is what James got into.

He really enjoyed getting out all the bedtime diapers.

He would unfold them and look as if they were books. The whole time saying “oh oh,” immediately before tossing each diaper behind him.

Once he was done clearing the bottom shelf he moved to the top shelf. I let him get a few diapers down from there before stopping him.

At this point he got a twinkle in his eye and kept pulling up to the top shelf to get at diapers. I’d say “What are you doing?” and give him a big hug while pulling him away from the shelf. He just giggled and giggled and giggled. It was quite sweet.

Blue Bunny

2011-05-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places to shop at with the kids is Fairhaven Toy Garden. They are a toy store for children and children are encouraged to play (so are the grown-ups). I love it!

Over Easter I found this darling Jellycat Bunny there. Blue Bunny, as he is known in our house, is super soft with floppy softer than a feather ears and arms. He has soothing chimes in his tummy. I wanted Blue Bunny. It just so happens that James received him in his Easter Basket.

James doesn't do fuzzy or snuggly. He loves books and was born knowing how to drive cars across the floor, not plush. So I was thrilled when I checked in on him and saw this.

He loves Blue Bunny!

James also has a little plush corgi dog that stays in his crib. When James gets tucked into bed I put Blue Bunny on his right and the corgi on the left.

At naptime I forgot about the corgi and James looked up at me and barked "arf, arf." the way he does whenever he sees a dog, or a bear, or anything that could be a dog. I had forgotten to put the corgi on his left, when I did he smiled from behind his pacifier, briefly closed his eyes and snuggled in for his nap. He is such a sweet baby!

The Wild Outdoors

2011-05-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

This week I brought my training off the treadmill and into the wild outdoors. Doing this has reminded me of the process of weaning the pacifier from the babies as they grew into toddlers.

I started my workouts in March, transitioning from the elliptical machine to the dreaded treadmill. I somehow managed to skip all of April not even fitting in so much as one workout -Yikes! Then in May, I joined Team in Training and primarily walked/ran on the treadmill, with the goal of starting outdoor training in June.

I have long been comfortable with gym workouts, so this weaning processed made sense to me. Running on the treadmill in comparison to running on the sidewalk is about as different as lifting weights using a machine vs. free weights. Free weights require use of many more muscles because you have to balance the weight rather than just pushing/pulling a weight on a track. Running on a stationary surface requires much more effort and many more muscles than running on a spinning belt. I have been feeling those little muscles every morning. :)

In some regards I feel like my training has started from scratch again, in other ways I’m glad I’ve transitioned the way I have, giving myself the time to adjust to one element at a time. Yesterday, just walking, I did 3.3 miles in about 50 minutes. This isn’t as good as I did on the treadmill, but it’s not bad either.

I’m a little anxious about time because the Marine Corps Marathon requires that participants complete each mile in at least 14 minutes. I guess this is a good thing as it doesn’t allow the marathon to last much more than 6 hours.

As I am walking/running outside my senses are being bombarded much as they were when I starting biking again and once I got used to riding.

Aside from training and fundraising I am reminded daily of the importance of my commitment to LLS, both at work and at home. Samantha reminds me by the simple act of being here.

I’m kind of rambling, so it’s time to stop blogging for tonight. Overall, I think training is progressing. I flip-flop from being proud of my physical progress to being disappointed that I’m not farther along. I finish every workout with the reassurance that the marathon isn’t until October 30 and that I’ll be fine as long as I keep walking, increasing my running time/distance and just keep going.

Proof :)

2011-05-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

James had a couple more vaccinations today. While we were sitting in the tiny exam room waiting for the nurse to draw up the vaccines this is what I saw:

Do you see them? Just to the right of the measuring stick thingy (yes, that's official nurse speak)?

Reading glasses! I love that they are kept from being lost by being tied to a nail on the wall. :)

Theres been a lot of talk about an aging nursing workforce ever since I got into nursing and probably before then too. This is the first proof of it I've seen.

The funny thing is I could swear drug manufacturers are printing lables smaller and smaller over the years. :)

Life is Wonderfully Full

2011-05-19T23:29:00.000-07:00

Life is wonderfully full. Because of this, my opportunity to train is limited. The time I’ve found to train is after work, after dinner, after playing with the kids, and after they have are tucked into bed and quiet.

During this time there are LOTS of opportunities to talk myself out of training. In spite of this, I have been doing really well going to the gym and walking/running.

Last weekend I forced myself to take some time off, time to allow my body to rest and time to relax with my family. It was nearly impossible to refocus my thinking.

Taking on this challenge is similar to being pregnant in the sense that it is very difficult to think about anything else. The idea of collecting at least $3500 for LLS is daunting and I want to succeed!

Making the commitment to train my body so that I’ll be able to successfully complete 26.2 miles is huge, but to be honest right now my biggest fear is that I won’t raise the money.

In the last two weeks I have made cupcakes for donation, wrote and sent letters, and tried to get the word out on facebook and daily conversations. Because of everything we went through with Samantha it is easy to talk to people about the importance of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s mission “to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives.”

There is more in the works:
May 22 (this Sunday)- The family and I will be selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts at the Bellingham Walmart to raise money for LLS.
June 18- There is a garage sale/bake sale planned in which all the money will be going to LLS. If you have anything you’d like to donate just let me know.
Ongoing- I continue to offer cupcakes for donation.

Here are the cupcake wrappers I designed to go around the cupcakes. I think they’re pretty cute.

When I first told people that I joined TNT, they asked:

1) “Why are you doing this, is it to loose weight?” Haha! Absolutely not! If my primary goal was to stick to an exercise routine there is NO WAY I’d train as often or as long as I have been. I joined because I want to see a cure.

2) “So you raise this money so that you get a free trip to Washington DC?” Again, I tried hard not to laugh. I have spent the majority of my free time training and fundraising. If my goal was to have a vacation in DC and see the monuments it would be much easier for me to just buy the tickets. Over 75% of what I raise will be going to LLS.

All this hard work feels good. It is nice to know that I am contributing to a solution. If you would like to make a donation you can do so at my fundraising page HERE.

A Day of Firsts

2011-05-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

With kindergarten is just around the corner Sam had a fun orientation to her new school today. This was the first time she was in the school. She got to meet a few new potential friends and got to go on a scavenger hunt to find the rooms that she would be frequenting next year.

After visiting the school we went grocery shopping. Sam generously shared her chocolate chip cookie with James. This was the first chocolate chip cookie that he ate.

I think it’s safe to say that he liked it.

Playing

2011-05-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

In addition to everyday busyness, I have been doing a lot of training and a lot of fundraising. After dreaming that I had a migraine (thankful that I didn’t actually get one), decided to take the weekend off from extra activities and just enjoy the family.

As an added bonus I was called off work today. Since it looks and feels like November outside, we ended up at McDonalds for play time.

Typically we have to pick up the small Duplo squares and put them on the table as James can fit them into his mouth. Here’s Sam’s rainbow.

Today, James surprised us. He stood up to the Duplo table...

...and quickly pulled off a lot of the squares nonchalantly chucking them over his shoulder.

When he was done with that he got down and cleaned them up without putting any of them in his mouth.

Then he had to climb into the table to make sure they were okay.

If you could like to help me reach my goal of raising $3500 for LLS my fundraising page can be found HERE.

Giving Back

2011-05-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

Back in November of 2006, Samantha was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Shortly into her treatment I was amazed by the generosity, support, and prayer from so many friends, family, as well as people I had never met. Since then I have really wanted to “give back” for Samantha as well as so many of the friends we met along the journey.

This has been something I have been mulling over for a while. Sam has been in remission for four years and now is the time to do it.

Back in March, I started practice training on the dreaded treadmill. I found out right away that I needed the proper shoes and they have helped.

In April, I filled out a note card, and signed up online for additional information regarding The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training (TNT).

Today I signed up and started training and fundraising.

In October I will be running in The Marine Corps Marathon.

This is a huge undertaking for me. I’ve never been terrible athletic. I’m very nervous. In fact I started feeling a bit nauseous as soon as I signed up. Still, I figure if baby Sam can endure chemo, I can train.

In addition to putting me out of my comfort zone physically, I have to fundraise which is not something I generally volunteer to do. This fundraising will help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma.

If you are interested or want more information, you can visit my TNT page HERE.

Time Passes Quickly

2011-05-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Lately when I look at Sam I see a big girl, not the little toddler I used to see.

Giving Daddy snuggles before preschool.

She was so proud of her May Day flower basket. She wasn’t too impressed with the rain. I think she’s ready for summer too.

It’s amazing to think how quickly time can pass…

...after all this little five year old is now a teenager and getting ready to graduate from high school in just one month.

How James Plays

2011-05-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

This morning James decided to forgo his regular 1 ½ -2 hour nap and only slept for 30 minutes. I had been trying to catch up on Sunday’s paper (well the adds anyway) so after he woke up James decided to catch up on Sunday’s adds too…

until he started to eat them.

Two videos taken tonight of little James

1) I think we need to buy him some big Tonka trucks. Though he's showing that Barbie car what it's been missing all these years. ;)

2) A few months ago James briefly pulled himself up to standing. Tonight he did it once and then did it over and over again and held on with one hand briefly each time. His crib side rail will definitely be being pulled up from now on.

James is still doing the military crawl and only occasionally gets up on his knees. I was beginning to think that James would be a late walker, after tonight I’m not sure. He may still be a late walker, or he could take off running by mother’s day.

Happy May Day

2011-05-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today after being at work for 2 hours I was told we were overstaffed and asked if I would like to go home. It was a sunny and beautiful day and I said “yes.”

I had a nice morning with Sam while James was taking his morning nap. After everyone was ready I packed a picnic and we headed to the park.

It was wonderful! James and Sam both ate well and played hard. We had a lot of fun. I did bring the camera, but we were too busy playing and having fun to stop for pictures.

We came home briefly in the afternoon for James to be able to take his nap and then headed back out to park for Mandi’s final senior photo shoot. It was the perfect day for it!

After enjoying a nice family dinner both of the younger kids went straight to bed and fell right asleep. For the last week or so Sam has had difficulty sleeping and has been staying up until 11 so it was especially nice to see her fall asleep so quickly and easily.

When I tucked in both of the little ones, they smelled like outdoors. Today was a wonderful reminder that summer is just around the corner.

This photo was taken in March. Today there was no need for sweaters, hats, or scarves. Yeah!!!

Change of Pace

2011-04-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

I’ve been feeling stagnant about home and work lately, just itching for a change of pace. I think it’s just one of those seasonal things. The winter has been long and spring seems to be taking it’s time on arriving.

To try and keep this funk from turning into a depression I’ve been trying to get outside with the kids as much as possible. For the last few days that means we’ve been heading to the park for an hour or so after I get off work.

Today I was thrilled when the phone rang at 5:45am and I was told I could have the day off. In that twilight fog of trying to get back to sleep I was making plans to do things with Mike and the kids. At 7:45 the phone rang again. A mistake had been made and my unit was short a nurse. I was also informed that both of our unit coordinators had called in and no replacement had been located.

I was thankful for the extra sleep and reluctantly started getting ready to head in to work, bracing for a busy day.

When I arived the unit it was surprisingly calm. The nurse assignments had been redistributed to compensate for missing one. The charge nurse was sitting behind the front desk where the unit coordinator would normally sit. She sounded a bit flustered as she said “Oh thank God!” and asked if I knew how to enter orders.

After a quick reminder of how to use the call system I was set. Today I served as unit coordinator.

The unit coordinator(UC) is more than a secretary. Yes, they answer phones and call lights, but they also enter orders, organize information on patients and much, much more. There is a constant buzzing and ringing and beeping and hum around the UC desk. The doctors and nurses frequently interrupt to ask questions. We have good UCs on my unit and they work hard and they make our unit run smoothly. When they are not there we miss them greatly.

So today when I assumed the role of the UC I was a little nervous. It was tricky to try and remember everything that needed to be done while dealing with constant interruptions…kind of like trying to bake with little helpers. ;)

Thankfully everyone was understanding and patient. Thankfully it was Saturday and not completely chaotic. Thankfully right when a ton of charts came to the desk was right before change of shift and thankfully the evening UC was there. There is a 30minute overlap between shifts and although I am nowhere near as fast as our trained UCs I kept plugging away until the end of my shift.

All in all I thought the day went fairly well. It’s not something I would want to have to do all day on a daily basis, but it was a nice change of pace for today.

The Park, Goodwill, and Projects

2011-04-26T23:35:00.000-07:00

We had a late start today, but still managed to get quite a bit done. Actually, I guess it was an early start, thanks to James, followed by a much needed morning nap. After lunch, a drive, playing at McDonalds, and a little grocery shopping, the kids and I got out the bike and headed for the park.

It felt so good to ride today. The kids thought so too, both loudly squealed with delight the WHOLE way to the park.

Once there James happily let Sam and I swing him. For the first time he also started blowing kisses today. It was very sweet.

Sam had a blast using the dormant spray park to practice riding her scooter.

After the park they squealed all the way back home.

We then headed out to do some summer shopping at Goodwill. I brought in a pretty good haul last week finding mostly fall clothes for James.

Today I found more clothes for Sam. Some of them have tiny stains here or there, but nothing that she wouldn’t end up getting on her clothes anyway.

On the left is a handmade purse that converts to backpack. It is very cute. The inside is turquoise with green polka dots. I'm thinking it will work well for our bike trips during the summer.

I do have a weakness for the handmade items that I find at Goodwill. I bought this small friendship quilt several months ago. Aren’t the bunnies sweet? Their little ears stick out. It came apart just a little when it was washed, so after the kids were in bed I mended it. Sam will get enjoy using it with her dollies.

The center top square reads "Friendship Baskets filled with memories of special times shared learning together, inspiring and challenging each other, and enjoying a growing Friendship. 6-9-91" then each basket square has been signed by the person who sewed it.

While washing the Goodwill finds I finally assembled the nautical quilt that I started last summer when helping one of my cousins with sewing projects. The assembly is the part of quilting that I absolutely dread, because of this I tend to procrastinate...ahem, just a little.

I hope to post pictures of more completed quilts soon. I am really trying to get enough momentum to get a few bigger quilts completed. Well…helping the nearly completed quilt tops find their batting and backing. I even took one such quilt top out of the “unfinished box” earlier this week and even sewed on it a little. :)

Busy Kids

2011-04-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the kids from this last week.

James reinventing the use of the exersaucer.

Yes, he did it all by himself.

A busy, healthy five year old. She made the necklace herself. I can't remember if she was wearing the hat because it was sprinkling outside or if it was because it was slightly sunny...at any rate she needed to wear the hat.

Mandi isn't yelling, she was asking for a bite. James really wasn't sure if he wanted to share his Pirate's Booty with her or not.

Sam likes using the laundry baskets as boats. "Mommy why can't I see the TV very well?" Ummm. For some reason she saw it much better after I tugged the boat back about three feet.

While driving James was unusually fussy. Sam said his arm was stuck. When we stopped this is what I found:

That little turkey! He slid the chest harness down and pulled his arm out. I guess it would still be better than no carseat, but it makes me a bit nervous. Hopefully this was a one time only thing.

The torch has been passed. Sam did the egg coloring this year.

I hope you all have a happy Easter.

First Ride This Year

2011-04-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

I realized today that I totally forgot to post a picture of James in his new bike helmet. This photo was taken the day we picked it up. It’s HUGE!

This evening after dinner Sam, James and I reassembled the bike trailer, inflated the tires on the bike and headed out for a short ride. I tried to let James play while doing all this…since all he wanted to do was taste rocks, he was quickly harnessed into the trailer. Sam kept busy buzzing around on her scooter.

James fussed most of the way to the store. He now has a nice scratch on his forehead which I assume is from him desperately trying to get the helmet off.

Both the kids were thrilled that one of the truck carts was open. They kept busy beeping the squeaker horn and steering up and down the aisles. I was quite amused watching them as were several other shoppers we passed along the way.

The ride home went smoothly. I think James will get the hang of riding in the trailer. As for Sam, she was in seventh heaven. She LOVES bike rides and wanted to go for a longer ride…maybe next time.

The New Wishful Thinking List

2011-04-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Life has been so busy and there is so much that I’ve wanted to share here. Because life has been so busy I haven’t had the time to share everything that I’ve wanted. Funny how that works, isn’t it.

For the majority of my adult life I have been a list maker. I find it helps me organize, prioritize, and overall simplifies my life. So, I absolutely love the magnetic list tablets that are sold for a buck at Target and Michael’s.

I use one of these tablets on my fridge to make the weekly meal plan and grocery list. This is what I found last week after returning from grocery shopping.

Wishful thinking sweetheart. I love you. :)

"Mama"

2011-04-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight Sam was watching the Berenstain Bears before bed. James was sitting on my lap. Every time Sister Bear or Brother Bear said “Mama” James would look up at the TV and say “Mama?” It was so sweet.

James is still pretty clingy, but he does seem to be on the mend. Tonight the top of his head looked rash free. From the ears down he was still quite rashy, but the rash doesn’t look quite as angry as it did yesterday.

Rashy Baby

2011-04-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

James has been a rashy kid from the start. Here he is at 2 days. Poor little guy his face was so swollen and he broke out in a rash that made his sweet little cheeks feel like alligator skin.

At three days all the little rash bumps erupted and crusted over. The doctor said he just had severe newborn acne.

Over the months James has continued to periodically get rashes, hives and/or eczema. So when he started running a fever on April 4 and was still running a low grade temperature a few days later the following heat rash was no shock.

After 5 days of fevers we went to the doctor and he ended up being put on antibiotics for an ear infection. Four days later he was still running fevers and the antibiotics were changed and he stopped running fevers. Yeah!

The following day, April 14, when I returned home from work I noticed a few bumps on his head and this is what the rest of his skin looked like.

I called the doctor’s office and had an allergy list started for this little guy. We decided to hold off on any other antibiotics for now.

His reaction has continued to get worse. The few bumps on his forehead had spread and looked like this on April 15.

And today I came home to my poor little guy looking like this.

Surprisingly he hasn’t been scratching all over, though we have been giving him Benadryl and using Hydrocortisone cream. He does itch his head, is a little cranky, and very clingy. I’m hoping that the rash is reaching an apex and that it will begin to improve, if not we will be visiting the doctor yet again come Monday morning.

Clinic Day

2011-04-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

Sam had her yearly clinic visit today. It’s hard to believe that she’s been in remission for four years!

Clinic today was interesting. It started with a blow-out by James and I forgot to pack extra clothes. So he spent all day only wearing a shirt and diaper. I’ll spare you any picture with that one.

Due to the cold she’s been fighting since April 3, Sam had to wear a mask. Unfortunately the novelty wore off rather quickly. She said she was afraid that she’d be laughed at. I assured her she wouldn’t and that it was important for her to wear so that she wouldn’t get other kids sick.

It gets quite humid under the masks. This warm humid air caused her nose to run more than it had before. So even though she was no longer worried about being embarrassed, she then would complain that she needed to blow her nose. Poor kiddo.

After we got settled and checked in, Sam’s day started off with an echocardiogram. The tech said she didn’t see anything abnormal, but that we’d have to wait for final results after the physician compared the images to last year’s.

Following the echo, we then had to wait 30+ minutes for a room to open up at clinic. Because of Sam’s cough, cold, and recent fever we had to wait away from the other kids and away from the fish tank, away from the books and magazines, and away from the games, and away from kids who are SO at risk for catching anything.

I forgot how anxious I get leading up to clinic. Seeing the little bald heads and feeding tubes of the children who are currently receiving treatment really cause a flood of memories and fears to rush over me. I held it together even though I felt like crying, especially when Sam asked about one little girl "why doesn't she have any hair mom?" I have to consciously remind myself that the past is the past and to give thanks to God for today and every day with the kids, what a wonderful gift. .

Once Sam was called back we found that Sam's vital signs were good and that she apparently grew 8cm this year which greatly impressed her nurse practitioner. Her weight is about the same but I know that this bug shes been fighting for the last 9 days hasn't helped.

Finally we got to wait for Sam’s lab draw. That part went well too. Craig (one of my previous co-workers) did a fabulous job, as did Sam. This time she choose to have an "arm draw" instead of a finger poke. And per her usual, she let her protest be known while holding her arm perfectly still. I have no lab results to share. We were simply told "No news is good news", so hopefully we'll just get a print out in the mail in a few weeks.

It was a long day, clinic days normally are.

Monday's Sammie-isms

2011-03-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

Monday morning started out bright and early with Samantha’s preschool fieldtrip to a fire station.

Sam made me so proud. She was very hyper and excited to see her friends, as she is every morning when she sees them. This excitement was again fueled when one of her closest playmates was able to ride with us to the fire station. The minute she got back into “classroom mode” she settled right down. She listened to the fire fighters, watched what they were doing, raised her hand when she had a question, and was very well behaved.

Isn’t she a cutie?!? Her favorite part of the tour? Seeing where the fire fighters play games, fix dinner, and watch TV.

At dinner that evening James ate well, but I needed to keep him occupied while the rest of us ate, but we were out of pretzels and he has been getting board with Cheerios. I gave him toast. He LOVED it!

You can see he really enjoyed playing with his food.

Yes, he rubbed it behind his ears and on top of his head and on his face. Afterward I said I needed to send a picture to Grandma Marty. At this, Sam said. "James doesn't have a grandma!". I said "yes he does." Sam’s reply, "OH! You mean grandma whose mother is named Great-grandma." ;)

Helmet Shopping

2011-03-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

This weather has been so beautiful lately and I've wanted to get back on the bike. So what's holding me back? Helmets. Sam has outgrown her little yellow chick helmet and James doesn't quite fit into it yet.

Today I got out the bike trailer and inflated the tires. At the end of our last walk I discovered that the tires were F L A T, boy is that sucker hard to push with both kids and flat tires! With the trailer in good working order we headed out.

It was a beautiful day and it was nice to visit with the girls. James loves the outdoors and was content the whole trip into town.

Once in town we headed straight for a local bike shop where Sam found the pinkist helmet in her size. There were lots of cute ones in other colors too. One of the things I think is really neat about the helmet Sam decided on is that it has flashing red lights in the back.

As for James, they had to special order a helmet for him. There will be pictures here when it does come in. I can hardly wait!

By the time we got done walking around town and having lunch, James was pooped and went straight down for nap when we got home. As for Sam, she had to put her new helmet to use, so we took a walk…er, scooter ride. I think that smile says it all.

Around the Table

2011-03-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to get back into a regular mealtime routine. This means meal planning and sticking to it. Since Monday I've done a pretty good job. Part of the plan is to allow for one "free meal" per week. Tonight was the night and everyone elected to have dinner at Red Robin, so off we went.

I decided to work my way around the table to get a picture everyone having a good time.

Watch 'em Grow

2011-03-03T22:44:00.000-08:00

Here’s Mandi, Granny Mandi anyway. She is currently in a play at school and her part is the grandma. She does a fabulous job, as does the rest of the cast. We were able to catch the sneak preview and it was hilarious!

Sam has really embraced her glasses. It’s so nice to see her draw, write, and read without scrunching her face up to help her see. She has such a thirst for knowledge and will usually guess or try to figure letters and words out for herself first. She still has a way to go before reading on her own, but it’s so nice that she likes to try to figure it out.

As for James, from the moment he was born I thought he looked a lot like my dad. And here’s the proof:

James is busy trying to run. Okay, not really, but he is ready to be mobile.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This video shows Sam briefly showing James how to crawl. You can see that he badly wants to go and PLAY! I’m sure there will be no stopping him once he figures out that his legs can do more than jump.

Here’s a link to the video of James in the Johnny Jump-up in case it didn’t show up for you on the previous post

It is so much fun to watch the kids learn and grow.

Thank you for sharing this journey.

Sam's Glasses

2011-03-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got the phone call that Sam has been waiting for. Her glasses were ready! She was excited to pick them up, but not very excited to actually put them on. With a little bribary and a lot of praise She put them on.

It was funny to hear her describe what she saw while wearing them. "James is littler than he looks when I have my glasses on." "Everything looks squishy."

I was nervous about today as it was her first day of preschool with her new glasses. According to her teacher she left them on all day. Way to go Sam!

The Big Brush

2011-02-27T21:54:00.000-08:00

Sam should be getting her new glasses any time. It’s emotional for me. I’m glad that we decided to get a second opinion, but it would be nice if my kids never needed glasses to see well.

I have always been very self conscious about my eyes and that they don’t track right. I hope that the glasses will help so that Sam’s eyes go the same direction. The doctor even said that she may only need glasses for a few years. Here’s hoping.

When Sam saw that big mascara brush she said “I need to remember how big it is so I can show sister!” She was so stinkin excited about it.

She picks on Mandi and it puts Mandi in a pickle as she could easily put Sam in her place, but is a good big sister and doesn’t want to hurt her little sister. Little comments like this just serve as a really nice reminder of how much she loves her big sister.

Mandi loves her little sister too.

Sam's 5th Birthday

2011-02-27T00:36:00.000-08:00

Wow time has gotten away from me. It's nearly been a month since Samantha's birthday, but I wanted to share some pictures here.

This year Samantha wanted to have her birthday at Build-a-Bear Workshop. Each friend made a wish and put a heart in Sam's bear.

Sam was unusually quiet. She was just wide-eyed and all smiles, taking it all in.

She and the girls had a blast picking out their bears and clothes. It was a good party.

I was going through some boxes since then and came across this picture of Samantha with the first Build-a- Bear that she made. I was taken one month after she finished chemo.

Happy birthday Sweetheart!

Sammie's "All About Me" pages for school:

Hoping for Spring

2011-02-26T14:04:00.000-08:00

Before the weather got so very cold we bundled the little ones up and brought them to the park.

James enjoyed the little swing.

Sam liked pushing him too.

We checked the water for fish.

Sam wanted to show James all her favorite park "rides"

and wore Mom out in the process. Good thing Daddy was close.

And of course swing and swing and swing.

Jumping James

2011-02-25T23:04:00.000-08:00

James is growing and growing. He now plays pat-a-cake and is SO close to crawling. Lately he’ll end up rolling to where he wants to go… this tends to be where he can get into whatever Samantha is playing with.

On the hardwood floors he uses his sticky little hands to grip and pull or push himself where he wants to go, most of the time anyway. There are still times when he ends up getting stuck under the couch or behind the big chair. Hehe silly boy!

I finally made it to Goodwill and found some reasonably priced pants for this little guy. I also found some new toys including this Johnny Jump-up. When I put him in it he took off and knew exactly what to do.

If you watch it to the end you’ll see him do another thing he just learned this week, waving “bye bye.”

Sam's Eyes

2011-02-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

Today Sam had her eyes checked. Although her eyes aren’t bad, they do not have equal vision. The eye doctor said she wanted Sam to get glasses to help her vision equalize “during this important time of development.”

We had great luck finding a very cute pair of frames at our first stop. Unfortunately it ends up that they are not on my insurance’s preferred provider list. So we spent the afternoon visiting other stores, but haven’t had any luck yet.

James liked the first store too as he found a handsome baby to play pat-a-cake with.

Speaking of cake, I’ve been keeping busy experimenting with different cupcake combinations. Today’s flavors were coconut caramel

and chocolate mint.

I’ve had fun baking them and Mandi has had fun sharing them with her classmates.

Pants Skirt Pants

2011-01-27T21:54:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week Cousin Melissa and I got together to sew. I think the last time we were able to sew together was earlier October. This time, instead of quilts, we worked on making reversible pants. We had fun and got a lot done. James loved all of “new” toys and was quite fascinated with the cat.

Melissa was able to start and finish these reversible pants for her daughter C. This was her first time sewing clothing and she did a great job.

I made a pair of pants for Sam, but they were way too big and she’ll have to grow into them. She wasn’t with me, so I had to guess on the size to make…I guessed wrong. My goal was to have warm pants for her to wear at the park on these cold days (we've already picked out fabrics for a second pair).

Sam doesn’t generally like to wear pants, only leggings or skirts, so she wasn’t too disappointed about the big pants and simply asked “so are you going to make me a skirt now?” She had been shopping at JoAnn’s with me when there Simplicity patterns were on sale for 99cents, and talked me into buying this skirt pattern.

When I actually got to reading the pattern (without interruption) I thought “Yeah right!” The skirt looks cute, but it was a total joke! I won’t bore you with the details, but I thought it was a crummy pattern and as I read, every part sounded more ridiculous and more work than it needed to be for a sloppy, thready inside.

After spending about 30 minutes trying to decipher and visualize their instructions, I scrapped it, used a few of their pattern pieces and puzzle-pieced them into this sweet skirt for Sam, with NO raw edges on the inside. I think mine turned out loads cuter than the original pattern and think I may make more. : ) Sam was happy with the outcome.

The next night I got busy making James another pair of reversible pants. The base pattern I use is Simplicity 5317, but then I tweak it so that they’re reversible. These little Mickey Mouse pants turned out quite sweet. I can’t wait to put him in them.

I’m finding I need lots of pants for James as he really likes to eat and wants “help” or feed himself more and more. With all the eating issues Sam had after treatment it is such a joy to watch James thoroughly enjoy his food even if he does make a COMPLETE mess in the process.

Tonight's Cupcake Adventure

2011-01-22T00:15:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s cupcake adventure was chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. I tried one recipe, but had to make one too many substitutions and they were gross, so I pitched the baked ones and tossed the batter in the trash. They were BAD.

So I went with the chocolate cupcake recipe off the back of the coco container (Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake) and added just a small amount of instant coffee to bring out the chocolate flavor. The texture was perfect!

I had a hard time finding a peanut butter frosting recipe for which all the ingredients could be found in my cupboards. So I winged it. The frosting turned out fine after lots of playing around with it, which is why I don’t have a recipe to post here.

While the cupcakes were baking I melted some milk chocolate chips and dipped Nutter Butter Bites in the chocolate and popped them into the fridge to top the cupcakes when they were done.

They were good. Hopefully I’ll have time to grab them and bring them into work in the morning.

Hummingbird Cupcakes

2011-01-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

Cupcake Wars is a Food Network show that I love to watch, not for the drama of the challenges, but for the creativity of its contestants and inspiration they provide. Of course the viewer is left only being able to imagine what the finished cupcakes taste like.

Today I was thrilled to find some of the Cupcake Wars recipes online! A few days ago I borrowed some cake books from the library but ultimately used the following online recipes to make hummingbird cupcakes.

I used Martha Stuart’s recipe for the cake with a few additions from Food Network’s recipe (1/2 tsp nutmeg and ½ tsp ginger). By itself the cake tasted a lot like banana bread. I had expected it to be lighter and fluffier. Perhaps it was because of the butter which this recipe calls for, where as the others I saw used vegetable oil.

I decided on using the cream cheese frosting recipe from Food Network’s hummingbird cupcake recipe adding additional lemon zest and a small amount of lemon juice to add extra “zing” to the frosting to off-set some of its sweetness.

The finished cake texture is similar to carrot cake, but with a tropical flavor. I topped my hummingbird cupcakes off with a sprinkle of cinnamon, slice of dried pineapple, pecan sliver, and one shred of lemon peel. They were yummy!

Making a Date

2011-01-18T00:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight on our way home from Costco this was the conversation.

Sam: “So Mom, When I grow up and have a baby…”
Me: “You mean, after you graduate from high school, college, get married, and THEN have a baby…”
Sam: “Yes Mom, after I go to college and get married and have a baby. When that baby is grown up a little, around 1 or 2, can we have a date?...Maybe we can go to the gym and drop her off at the kid’s club and I will go to work and then we can go to the gym and work out and then to a movie, or something fun like that?”
Me: “Like a grown-up date? Like going to a movie and having some tea after?”
Sam: “Yeah, that would be fun.”

I do think we can have a fun date like that sooner than later. ;)

Gettin it Done!

2011-01-16T23:32:00.000-08:00

Since the fall I've been busy sewing off and on. I didn't get James' stocking finished before Christmas...to be honest I don't think he noticed. ;) I have finished a some projects leading up to Christmas and a few since.

I have been really excitied about repurposing flannel sheets to make decent sized baby blankets. This is the first one I made for James back in September. I felt the sage color was too plain and added some fun details.

One of my co-workers said she had too many baby blankets, so I was in a bit of a pickle and the solution was simple...

…burp clothes (she said she only had a couple). So I didn't get to re-purpose any sheets with this, but I think they turned out really sweet and I was still able to use the flannel I bought for her.

Another co-worker had her baby a couple weeks later. She liked the blankie I made for her little guy.

I had made one for James back in September from the same fabric.

I also made him this one we call the bugga bugga blankie. :)

And I couldn't resist this henna looking flanel to make one for my cousin who loves butterflies and bugs (the Debbie Mumm bug fabric was sold out).

A queen top sheet can be used to back four blankets with enough fabric to wrap around, edging the blanket.

What I like best about these blankets is they are just about 40 inches square so they work great for swaddling when the babies get bigger, play mats, covering when nursing, and wrapping over the infant seat on blustery days.

Another project that has been on my mind a lot lately are reversible pants. I made several for Mandi when she was little.

She was really into veggie tales so she loved her Bob the Tomato pants. On the reverse is the same fabric that I used in her Christmas stocking so many years ago.

She also loved kittens, so these were one of her favorites too. :)

Staying with the theme of wanting to use up the flannel top sheets I paired some of the red flannel with this cute dino cotton. I wanted to get a picture of James wearing them, but they were dirty before I got the chance. Now that he is eating solids and finger foods his clothes don’t stay clean long.

This week my ‘must get done’ project is finishing this quilt for a friend. The finishing is the part I have a hard time with. Batting, layers, matching edges, and tying...what’s not to look forward to! I’m glad I have a deadline, because it makes getting it done a priority.

When I was looking for pictures of Mandi in her reversible pants I found this one of Myles, Mandi, and Alyssa. All three are buckled in their Fisher Price car seats. It is hard to believe that they are so grown up all ready. :)