I really love food. Apparently, too much food can be a bad thing. I hear exercise can counteract that problem. I run so I can eat. Thus, I love to run.
Well, my mistake ended up being not the worst thing in the world. Maybe even a blessing in disguise.
The kids still got to go to Chuck E Cheese. They had a lot of fun (although not the “birthday fun”)
And then after that we went to my sister’s house. Her husband wasn’t home, but we got to hang out with her and my niece and nephew. The kids had fun running around and there was even some games of Uno.
It was nice to hang out without the craziness that comes with birthday’s. So, all in all it was a great day.
Here is a picture that my stepmom took last Sunday after my sister’s graduation.
Me, my sister, my mom, and my brother.
Quick family history: My mom and dad had us three kids (Brett, Mindy, Kari). And then my dad and stepmom adopted two more when I was in middle school (Ashley and Josh).
I could probably write a book about the many affects that my parent’s divorce had on my life. But, bottom line: My family is bigger and more blessed because of it. And that is a very good thing.
Extra note:
Peyten just came up to me and said: “I can’t fit my big toes in my nose!”
Me: “Yeah, that is kind of hard to do”
Pey: “How about these ones?!” *pointing to her little toes*
Me “Um, sure…go ahead and try”.
Pey: *walks off to go try*
Kids….smh :)
Feeling a bit nostalgic. I dug up my external hard drive that I have pictures from 2007 til 2011 stored on. The kids and I stayed up a bit later than usual looking through birth day and baby photos and anything else we could find.
I am sure I will find quite a few to use for the next several Flashback Fridays! I just thought I would post this one now because…just because.
From left to right:
My dad. My dad’s dad (Gramps). My dad’s brother (Unkie Dave). My dad’s other brother (Unkie Mike). And my younger brother (Josh).
All the men have been Methodist ministers at any given time. My dad and Unkie Dave are still preaching. Gramps is retired. And my Unkie Mike works with the bishop down in Georgia. (I can never remember his actual title) Of course Josh is a bit young for all that, but hey…if any one of us “kids” decided to go in to the ministry, I think he would be the one. So, you just never know.
Notice the coffee cups….always coffee. Always. Whether you are a Methodist or a Selleck…it is pretty much a given that there is going to be coffee when you get together. :P
Good lookin’ group :) Each one so different from each other, but cut from the same cloth as well. I have been nurtured, inspired, motivated, taught, and loved by each one of them. Good stuff.
I came up to my dad’s yesterday and ended the day with not feeling well at all. Needless to say, the two hour drive home with the nausea did not sound appealing. I think the day was just “too much too fast”. So we ended up staying the night. A king size bed with my 3 and 6 year old. Somehow my 3 year old got the majority if the bed, hmm.
I am definitely feeling better today considering I was able to eat the above breakfast without issue. ‘Twas tasty.
I think we will hang out for a bit and then head home. I can’t believe the kids go back to school tomorrow. That kind of snuck up on me!
Yesterday was a good day and great to catch up with family. I will post some pics when I get home to my laptop later.
Peyten had an appointment with a specialist today. We have been to this office once before with Aydan and I am impressed yet again. We will always need doctors and doctors can get away with a lot and it really stands out in my mind when an office runs smoothly and we have a great experience. Especially when it comes to my kids.
Both the nurse and the doctor made Peyten feel at ease and that is so important in my book. Not all doctors and nurses do that. And since this doctor works with kids most of the time, he draws his explanations out on a piece of paper. Which…even though I am not a kid, helps me!
She went in for nothing too serious. She has a bump on the front of her neck.
They say it is a dermal inclusion cyst. Nothing too harmful, but it could rupture and cause an infection. Best to get the little bugger out.
So, she is scheduled for January 28th to have it taken out. They will drug her up and take it out. It should only take about 20 minutes and then recovery/wake up time. And then we can take her home. Nothing that should freak Peyten out too much. She won’t see any scary needles or utensils. They give her happy meds by mouth before they even do an IV or the anesthesia I believe (if I remember what he said correctly).
Anyway, I may freak out a bit on the day of. Whenever your kid has anything hospital related done…well, it is never easy. I can not imagine my kids having any serious type of surgery. I think I would pull my hair out! lol
Although, whenever they are given a new type of med or anesthesia, it is a bit scary…I try not to think about that! Borrowing trouble really isn’t my style. At least I try not to.
Happy Friday!
I fell asleep watching Batman with the hubby last night. Then I woke up and watched the end. Hathaway makes a great Cat Woman. And then I stayed up too late watching the first couple of episodes of this show:
Cute show. I quite possibly related to some of the characters too much at times, lol. But, the main character definitely makes me laugh.
I stayed up too late, but after yesterday….looong day at work….it was nice to just zone out for a while and have no distractions. A quiet house is so calming. And the only time my house is quiet, is when everyone is asleep, so you gotta stay up to enjoy it.
I feel like I should have a Flashback for you…since it is Friday and all. Let’s see…
Oh crud, now I am reminiscing over pictures from Thanksgiving time, 2 years ago and I can’t decide on just one…so here, you go:
The weather must have been not so cold that year…and those boots were new that year, so of course she had to go try them out ;) She is just gorgeous :)
I go on about the reason I love Thanksgiving is the food, but truly…it is THIS, a table full of food AND family. I love it. If anything fills my love tank, it is this. If I had to choose one piece of furniture in the house, it would be the dining room table (a big one). Hands down the most important piece.
That year, the boys fried the turkey. Yes, it was very good. Worth the effort? I don’t know, I guess it depends on who you are on that one. They sure had fun ;) And no, nothing was burnt down that year.
And then there is me carving the turkey (we cooked a breast in the oven as well). I usually end up carving considering I have the most experience with that, lol. (favorite apron)
No, this picture wasn’t from Thanksgiving. It was right before or after. A Blimpy’s Burger. I saw this picture and now I am definitely craving one. Good thing Ann Arbor, MI is a couple hours away, otherwise I would eat here all the time! So good.
I almost forgot, I had written up a recap of my Blimpy experience when I went that year. If you need something to read, to pass the time, it is here. I also went to Zingerman’s that day. Forget about it. A foodie’s perfect day right there, lol. I think I need to plan a road trip soon….
Conversations tonight
(4 yr old Aydan playing Tetris on my iPhone)
(I walk back in the room and he is all contorted on the chair obviously not playing Tetris any longer)
Me: Aydan, what are you doing?
Aydan: (reaching back behind him with the phone) I am trying to take a picture of my butt!
Me (to in-laws): Yeah, this kid is NEVER having a facebook account! (smh)
(Nate is at his first night of driver’s training)
Me (to in-laws): Do you guys realize that Nate is up at driver’s training right now…learning how to drive?! That is scary!
Papa: That isn’t so scary. It is good he will be driving.
Me: No, do you know how much the car insurance is going to go up?!
Can someone slow life down, please? lol
And for the record, I still think it is ridiculous that driver’s training costs so much. It was FREE when I was in school. It was actually another class that we took during school. Now it costs THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS! Ridiculous. I mean…I get it, I do…but it is still ridiculous.
And don’t even get me started on all the crazy rules for getting a license…I can’t keep it all straight :P
Coordinating calendars tonight. It doesn’t look like life is going to slow down at all in October. And you see we have an anniversary in there too! Hmm…will have to get creative on when and how to celebrate. I really should add my running schedule to the calendar…wait, maybe not. Let’s not get overwhelmed Kari :)
Little man started preschool today! So proud of this guy. He has come a long way in the last year or so.
Peyten and I took him to school this morning. I made sure he was settled in his class and then I told him “ok, I am going to leave now”. He just said “kay!” and shrugged his shoulders.
I am very grateful to have kids that feel confident enough that they don’t freak out at times like this. If any of my kids were to do that, Aydan would have been the one. But, no, he was ready for school and mentally prepared. He did have a couple moments beforehand (last night and this morning) where he was scared and didn’t want to go, but once he was there, he was happy as a clam.
Excitement was definitely a dominant emotion. The fear only crept up at little times. And with Spiderman EVERYTHING…how can you be scared? Backpack, socks, shoes, underwear. I mean, you can’t go wrong with all that.
Three in school now…one more to go! Peyten will start preschool next year.
Random photos and tidbits
I never posted the “first day of school photo”. So, I took a photo on the 3rd day. And am now posting it on the 1st day of the second week of school.
Our 1st and 10th grader.
It was also game day for Nate, which is why he wore his jersey to school.
Yesterday morning was chaotic. First day of Sunday School with new teachers (including me). Well, next week will go better.
We had our annual church picnic after church yesterday. We always love this picnic. The weather is usually gorgeous. The guy that hosts the picnic has quite a bit of acreage with amazing landscaping. And he always has plenty of dahlias for everyone to cut and take home.
There was quite a few people and everyone brings a dish to pass. I didn’t even come close to getting everything available and my plate was full!
(those collard greens were my favorite :) I am a sucker for the greens!)
Not pictured was corn on the cob and dessert and second helping of greens, lol
Aydan had chips…..
Yeah, the days of trying to get the kids to eat at functions like this are long gone. We just feed them before or after, it is much easier. They would much rather run around, play on the golf carts and go in the bounce houses than think about food. Just not worth it.
The picnic was nice and we got to chat and catch up with many people. The kids are finally all to an age where we don’t have to follow them around every minute. Peyten still runs off a little, but not like she used to. And with the teenagers around, they would pick her up and give her rides on the golf cart. Not to mention the majority of the church family do see our kids as family and keep an eye out as well.
And then of course during the FOUR minute car ride home (with windows down and music blaring), Aydan was passed out cold. Papa picked him up and put him in his bed. He didn’t wake up until then.
After the picnic Mark and I had our Youth Group night. We had a lot of fun. Played some games, ate some snacks, did some learning. It was a great end to a great weekend.
Today is Monday and we are back in to the swing of things. Nate rode his bike to school. I drove Charly to school. (we only live a half mile from each school, which is SO nice) Aydan had his “home visit” from his teacher. So, he got to talk with her and I finished filling out paperwork. He will start pre school next Monday.
And now, I am working up at the church. I have a lot to catch up on. But, first I had to pick up some lunch.
Judge me, don’t judge me, I don’t care:
Ironically, I don’t feel guilty about the calories. I feel a bit guilty because there are leftovers at home that need to be eaten up. Ah well.
Oh, and if you order fries at McDonalds with no salt, you get them perfectly salty. Just FYI, ya know.
Not sure if I will run tonight or not. I have some grocery shopping to do. And when I ran the 16.5 on Saturday, I pretty much assumed I would take at least two days off. Of course, last night I had the urge to run already. I didn’t, but if I had the time, I probably would have. Funny how that is.
Happy Monday!!!
Flashback Friday. Memorial Weekend of 2009.
I was 7 or 8 months prego with number 3. We went camping up north for the weekend. Just Mark, me and the kids. Charly was 3 and Aydan was 1-1/2.
We have a lot of great memories from this trip.
Going to Chuck E Cheese while it rained one day. Eating fantastic bbq chicken and my homemade baked beans. Aydan playing in the dirt and pretty much staying that dirty the whole time. Charly making up the song: “I like chewing gum! Oma’s going to get me some!”. Aydan chowing down on some corn on the cob. Charly learning how to roast a marshmallow. Charly getting stung by her eye and she looked like Rocky the rest of the weekend. Oh, and sitting by the fire after the kids went to bed and listening to the people on the other side of the woods rock out in their garage.
The times were not easy, but they were good times.
I was going to do a GPOYW picture, but then I decided to post this one instead. Isn’t she cute? This was last Wednesday after she had been swimming in the pool for an hour. Her lips were a bit purple and she was cuddling up in a towel on my lap.
I can’t believe this girl is going in to 1st grade next week. I mean, I know it is cliche…but time sure does fly! I still remember watching a movie and timing my contractions. Just wondering how soon she would finally join us in this world.
Edit: I love how this pic shows the brown speck in her eye. Her dad has the same thing.
It’s Friday!!
Before:
After:
The kids are off to their Oma and Opa’s for the night.
It is always a bit odd when the kids leave. It goes from crazy to quiet so abruptly and it is always surreal. In the picture above, they were all screaming pretending to be on a roller coaster as we went ever so slightly downhill along the highway. Silly kids. And the second picture, of course, is me on the way home with an empty back seat.
I got home and the house is trashed. There is so much to be done. And of course, I want to do none of it. I want to enjoy my kid free time with relaxing and doing things that I want to do. But, with the kids gone, it is soooo much easier to do things like clean the house (because it actually stays that way). So, maybe once I get some paying work done, I can devote an hour to the house and at least make it presentable. Get it out of the way.
IF I have time today, I want to get in a quick 3-4 mile run. If not, I am not going to beat myself up about it. Tomorrow morning, I am making sure that I get in A LONG RUN!!!! I haven’t had a long run in so long and I am so craving it. Just me and the pavement. I am going, no matter the weather. The kids are gone, so I should be able to go first thing in the morning. And then in the afternoon, Mark and I can get ready for our Lock-In with the Youth Saturday night.
I will probably work today, pretty much until it is time to leave. Tonight is our town’s first Varsity football game. It will be nice to go without the little kids. Nate is still here and plans to go to the game and hang out with friends. But, Mark and I can go, actually watch the game, and not worry about kids and various items falling through the bleachers. Oh, and not have to take MULTIPLE trips to the bathroom.
Last night was Nate’s first JV game. It was an away game and it was a lot of fun. I think Nate enjoyed himself. This is his first year ever playing football, so it was all very new to him being on the field. They lost :( But, maybe they will win the next one. He is #88
Now, I am going to plow and get some work done. Mark is off running an errand and Nate is at football practice. Sooooo quiet here :)
It’s 9 am….
and I feel like I have an endured an entire day of mommy business.
Charly woke up at some time during the night and moved to the couch.
Aydan woke up at 6am….wet. I got him cleaned up and dealt with a meltdown over choice of underwear. Changed his bedding and got everything in the wash. Laid him back down on a couch.
Peyten woke up as soon as I got Aydan settled. She was poopy (luckily she still wears a diaper to bed). I got her cleaned up and put underwear on.
They all wanted milk, but since we got rid of the sippies, they have to sit at the table to drink it. Which none of them wanted to do. I managed to get everyone settled in the living room and we watched an episode of Little Einsteins (I really do not like that show).
Then they all wanted milk so I put them at the table. There was complaining/issues about which cups and straws and bubbles and spilling. Oh my.
I decided it was time for a bath, so I put the two youngest in the tub and let them play for a bit.
Charly took a shower after they were done.
Everyone got breakfast. Cereal. There was complaining/issues over what kind and Aydan had to pour his own cereal and milk, but the milk was too heavy. Yeah, try and convince a 4 year old of that. And since I had a hand on the bottom of the milk while it spilled a bit and apparently bumped his hand as it came down…it was all my fault that he got “hurt” and spilled his milk. Yeah.
I caught up on the dishes. Put away the clean and washed the new that had compiled overnight (I still wonder how that happens…)
I cleaned out the microwave. Boy, was that needed!!
Aydan had two bowls of cereal (two different kinds). Peyten had seconds of hers (and she chose to use her Tinker Bell mug to eat out of). Charly tried to take care of Aydan’s bowl so she could take his seat and spilled the milk that was left, on the floor.
I have laundry going for Aydan’s bedding and then for our swimming gear from last night and then I have the girls clothes to wash. Luckily, Mark did my laundry yesterday (so sweet).
Now, Aydan is having his “potty time”, sitting on his little toilet with the laptop in front of him and he covers his legs with a towel so his legs don’t get cold. Yeah, it is what works for the kid….lol.
The girls are watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Mark is up and has about 5 errands to run today, including getting Nate signed up for school. Plus, it is Mark’s birthday!
I need a shower….
Happy Thursday!! Oh, Nate has his first football game tonight. SO EXCITED!!
Fair
After the 5k today, I drove the 1-1/2 - 2 hours home. But, first I did stop to get an oil change. It was much needed.
As soon as I got home, I changed my clothes, got the kids ready, and headed out the door with Grammie and Papa to go to the fair.
It made for a long day to say the least and boy are my legs sore right now!! Seriously, so sore.
But, man it was great to see the smiles on those kids faces. We looked at the animals, we walked around the expo buildings, we rode rides, we looked at campers and tractors, we played games. We ate corn dogs, french fries, elephant ears, cotton candy, ice cream, and candied almonds. A lot of the “fair staples”.
We got home about 9 o’clock and I was able to get the kids in the tub and get them in bed by about quarter to 10. Maybe they will sleep in tomorrow?? yeah…right, lol.
It was a fabulous day. I am sure I could go in to detail with a recap of it all, but I am so tired right now…and that is all. It was a wonderful family filled day.
