Wow. What a crazy crazy week. And this week will be just as insane. Oh boy, I'd better buckle up right now. Sheesh.
Okay so Monday......usual Monday stuff. Went to the gym with Ben, & ran some good miles. Sophie had fun at the daycare there, it seemed that most of her friends showed up too and I saw her in there holding hands with one of them dancing around the room. It was really cute. Then I went and spent all our money groceries and even more groceries. I swear food prices have tripled. For the love. I can never get that weekly bill down. Oh well.
We had a good Family Home Evening, we did some yard work, trimming the hedges and all that, for a little bit, had a little lesson and then had delicious brownies and ice cream. Clearly we haven't gotten back on the no sugar train. It'll be my goal after the marathon. Right now, I need that sugar. seriously. Or I can't handle the withdrawal, that's probably more correct. HaHaHa.
Tuesday I scrubbed walls, and baseboards and did all that awesome deep cleaning. And Sophie insisted on helping me, she followed me around with a spray bottle and rag washing doors and walls. It was really sweet of her.Then I Planted my flower garden, and she was just as helpful then. She got all the flowers out of their pots so I could plant them. We even got her a little flower and pot for her in her room. WE'll see how long before it dies. ;) Ben and I went for a good long bike ride. And then I finished up a school project with Harrison. He had to write a report on Penguins. Neither He or I were into it. I may or may not have helped him color his penguin. But it got done, he wrote it all out himself, so that was good.
Then that night I was teaching the RS activity. It was one I had planned before I got released, so I was still a part of it this month. It was really fun. I love working with the women in this ward. They are so much fun. The RS made these delicious "energy" bites (okay they are basically no bakes with a few added healthier ingredients) THey have Peanut Butter, Coconut, Oats, Flaxseed, Honey & mini chocolate chips.you just mash it all together and roll it into little balls and they are so yummy! I think I ate like 10. I came home and made a bunch for my kids and they ate them just as fast. I think they might become a new staple here. mmmm. Yum. Anyways, it was a great activity and I miss being in charge of those. That was a good time.
Wednesday was of course filled with Running, Cleaning, Laundry. But I was way proud of my run that day. I did 8 half mile sprints and I did each one in 3:18 (6:36 min mile) It was not an easy workout and I thought I was going to puke at the end. Fortunately I had 3 other ward friends running with me and we had a good time chatting and wanting to die at the same time. It was fun. It was early out day and we met up with a few friends at the splash pad. It was perfect weather, the kids had a great time, and I got to hang out with more friends so it was a fabulous afternoon.
As soon as we were done there I came home, put together a quick dinner and James and I were off. I had another YW meeting plus I was in charge of the combined activity this week, which I think went really well. James got his homework done while I had my meeting, we went to our activities, he helped me carry stuff back out to the car and by 9:30 we were heading home. It had been a long day so we decided we needed some frozen yogurt. So we got some. He was pretty happy about that.
We had fun talking while we ate our yogurt. He said "mom, I know you don't really care about video games, and you don't like them very much, but I really want to tell you about this anyway okay?" I almost died laughing it was so funny. He went on to explain everything about this game he has been playing, you build and create things in it and he is in love.
Thursday Ben and I started our day out with a game of Tennis. Given the fact that it was only the 2nd time I had ever played, I think we did much better. I hit the ball a lot more and actually got it in the lines and didn't hit myself with the racket this time, so definitely an improvement. After that I showered and spent the rest of the day at Amy's house. We never get to hang out anymore, so we plan a day here and there when we can. It was great day. Sophie had Eve to play with her there, so she was in heaven. They played out on the trampoline and with dolls and ate an entire plate of cookies, so their little hearts were happy. Amy and I made food and chatted and laughed our heads off and just had a great time. Love that woman. She's my sis out here.
While I was having fun, Ben was out buying a new car. Yes that's right, we traded in Ben's sports car. sniff sniff. I loved that thing. The leather, the engine, the everything about it. sniff sniff. But practicality got us and we traded it in. We now own a 2010 Honda Accord. It was $15,000. So I didn't feel too bad about the price. It is a pretty nice little car, we're happy with it. The kids love it too, probably because they can actually fit in "dad's" car now.
Thusday is also one of the days that James has SCience club after school and I forgot to tell Harrison. I went to meet him, and he didn't come until a teacher went to find him, he was waiting for James and brought him out to me. He was stressed, but it was really sweet. WE got to the sidewalk and a little girl was there. She is from his class and I guess she always waits for him and helps him out. so sweet.
The kids didn't have school on Friday. So what did we do? We had great plans to go to the beach and have a splendid day there...but it got COLD and WET all day. So we slept in. Went shopping (finally got another desk so my computer is NOT sitting on the floor) I got my run in, then Ben and I went out on a date. the YW presidency was having a luncheon for all the teachers the next day and I was supposed to make thank you gifts, which turned out beautifully! But I needed to get several things. So we went out for Pizza. Um best pizza ever. And mom, they have gluten free, so if you ever come here we know where to go! Seriously, I was in heaven it was so good. the crust melted in your mouth...mmm. Now I want more.
Anyways, we ran our errands, I came home and got everything put together, cleaned up and before I knew it it was 2 am. for the love. I never stay up that late. Then I woke up at 4:30 for no reason at all and didn't really go back to sleep. Sheesh. Not really what I had in mind. But my friend was meeting me to run, so we got our 12 miles in and then it was shower and head over to the luncheon. It was so perfect! It looked gorgeous. maybe I'll post a pic for ya. I framed a fancied up copy of this years theme and made a little treat for each, and the table was set beautifully. The lady that hosted is amazing, pretty much a Martha Stewart, but 100% gracious and I could totally see her being a general something other in the church one day. She is full of love for everyone and just amazes me. I am lucky I get to work with her. It was a fabulous afternoon though and I was so glad it went so well.
I came on home, died in bed for a couple hours. And then Ben took the boys to a Hockey game while Sophie and I had a girls night. We watched Beauty and the BEast while we did our nails and had some dinner. Then we went to the store, and on the way the poor girl got a horrible bloody nose that just would not stop. That girl and her bloddy noses, she gets them all the time and it freaks her out a little bit. But we got her all cleaned up and got our shopping done. picked out a couple treats for ourselves. After we got home, we played Barbies, ready books and ate our treats. It was a fun evening with her. I was glad to have a few hours with just her to play with.
Oh, cutest story. Friday night we watched Frankenweenie. The little boy's dog dies at the beginning and I look over at Harrison and he has little tears just spilling out. He tried to hide them, and blame it on the lights. But the lights didn't seem to bother him later. hehehe. It was so sweet. Ben and I were dying it was so cute. Love that sweet sweet silly boy. Harrison lost one of his front teeth on Saturday. It was pretty much hanging by a thread and he would NOT let us even near him to pull it out, or touch it or anything. but ben finally talked him into letting us tie a string on it and letting him pull it out himself. So he did and it came out no problem. THen today I noticed his other front tooth is just as wiggly. I wonder how long before he lets us pull that on out too.
I know I talked last time about Ben's company and how they were meeting with really Big investors this week. And they did. And the meeting went perfectly. I guess things went 100% smoothly. So that's what we heard on Monday & then didn't hear anything else all week. I know the guys were insanely busy with other meetings with other investors. But the waiting to find out what was going on was a little nerve wracking. But finally on Friday they contacted Ben for just a few minutes to say they got the funding they needed, not from who they expected, but it worked out, it was a crazy week of ups and downs and they'll report more later. So, I guess that is good? I want to hear all the details and know what all happened.
Anyways, that is all for now. Today was very nice, I am really liking the new curriculum for the Youth in the Church. One of the girls in YW today made such a great comment, I loved it and I love that these girls are really thinking about things. It is great to see.
And now I am home from BYD, Ben got the kids to bed, I am tired and ready for bed. Good night family.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Sophie Pics
Just a few pics of Sophie from the past week. Do you like her make up? She is my princess.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
47 Miles, A Sunny Afternoon at the Park, & Date Night
Man, I can't even think what happened this week. My brain has literally ceased to function. That might have something to do with the fact that I ran a fast 10 miles on Friday afternoon, and then a decently paced 20 miles early Saturday morning and then went right into a busy Saturday, a very restless night and then another busy Sunday. Yeah, my brain just isn't working at the moment. But just typing seems to be stirring up some memories of this week so here we go....
I have started cheating with Family Home Evening, let me explain. Since I am in Young Women's now and get to enjoy hearing a great lesson over basic gospel doctrine each Sunday I have been taking notes and pretty much copying the lesson to use for FHE the following night. It is working beautifully. Then I don't have a brain cramp trying to figure out what to teach, it is already planned, and I feel like the kids are actually learning things they need to know. This week we talked about what the Godhead was and then all learned the First Article of Faith together. Tonight they all passed it off to me and will be getting na extra special treat from the store tomorrow. See how well this cheating works out for me? Beautifully.
I know most everyone who reads this blog is living in UT...I'm sorry for the next sentence. The weather here has been 100% absolutely perfect!! My kids get worn out running around outside all afternoon and come in all sweaty and ready to settle down. mmm. perfect. So on early out day we made a play date with friends to meet at the park. Several came and we had such a fun time. They each a few friends to play with. I got to visit with good friends I hadn't seen in a while (one jut had a baby, another about to have a baby) and it was a perfect afternoon at the park. Love those days,
As soon as we were done at the park though, we hurried home, grabbed a bite of dinner, and then James and I were off to the church. I had a meeting 2 hrs before YW/YM & scouts started so I just took James with me. He was good and did his homework, then a friend happened to be at the church as well so they played ball while we had our presidency meeting. It was good. The women I serve with are simply amazing and I am constantly learning from them. THey are the most loving women I have ever met, and I am reminded yet once again that the most important thing in live is to love.
We had our YW activity, which was a class activity. It was really fun. We made caramel popcorn, planned out and got ready for our YW/YM combined activity this coming week that we are in charge of and just had a good time getting to know each other while doing all of that. They are great girls, and I am glad I get to be with them.
Thursday I tried something new. Ben and I played a "game" of tennis together. Something we have never done before. I think the last time I played tennis was in PE in Jr High. So yeah, its been at least 15 years. It was pretty entertaining. Ben served the ball, I went to hit it and hit myself with the racket instead. I think he then realized just how bad I was. He served more carefully from then on. WE played for a good hr and had a really fun time. It was like a mini morning date. We made fools of ourselves I'm sure, but hey, it was worth it. We will be back there again this Thursday.
After our game of Tennis, Sophie had her friend, Eve, over for the day. Those two girls are so sweet together. They played nicely the entire day (from 10-5) And even shared their dinners, snacks, toys, dresses and everything else with each other the whole time. At one point I was downstairs cleaning up and I could hear them upstairs whispering and then laughing laughing laughing.I snuck up the stairs to see what they were up to. They had sophies make up (bright eyeshadow) and were putting it on each other and just giggling at every little thing. I loved it. I loved seeing them so happy and having so much fun.
Friday I promised the boys I would meet them for lunch at school again. I also promised I would bring them a special lunch. They were very lucky boys as I got them Happy Meals. We don't get those very often as they are pricey and unhealthy. But it made their day and we had a lot of fun together at the school. Sophie did her "make-up" before we left and everyone commented on how pretty she was. Harrison had a good day at school because they had read a book about Chicken Soup with Rice and in class they ate chicken soup and had crackers for their snack. He thought that was pretty great. James has been much happier at school this week and I am not sure if it iss because he feels pretty cool with a nook these days or what, but whatever the reason I am grateful. I like having my happy James back.
Saturday I did my run, which I will go into more detail in a minute, we cleaned up, got laundry done, Ben mowed lawns....all the usual Saturday stuff and then we ended the night with a date! We don't go out very much as it adds up quickly with a babysitter, food etc... But we had a fun time together. WE just went out to dinner. I was starving, Ben was starving. We ate our food in about 2 minutes. Even the waitress commented on how quickly the food disappeared. That's what you get when you run 50 miles in a week...a constantly starving person, and ben is just always hungry. :)
So yeah, I ran a bazillion miles this week and last week. I am not going to lie, it was a really rough week for training. Every single run was hard, and painful, and just slooooow. My legs seemed dead all week, I kept waiting for my body to just snap out of it and wake up already. But no, it didn't happen. I was 3 miles into my 10 miler on Friday when I came this close to just stopping. In my head I was thinking "This is rediculous! Why do I do this to myself? I don't even like this anymore! I HATE this! I hate hate hate running and never want to run again!!!!!!" Yeah, I was done. But as I kept running I kept thinking. And as I kept thinking I started thinking and realizing that I was just at mile 16.
See in a marathon mile 16 is always where I start to falter, not a lot, but that's when my body starts to break down. At that point you have run 16 miles, which is a pretty good distance....but you still have 10 miles to go!!! And that thought...is exhausting. But, I always get through it. I always finish. I have never dropped out of race. And so, I am 2/3 done with my training. I have done a lot, still have a ways to go. But I will finish it, and I will finish it well. I finished up my 10 mile run. Prayed that my legs would last another 20 for the following morning and had a fabulous 20 miler with 3 of my friends. I felt great the entire way, and finished holding a solid pace of which I was very happy about. I am very glad though, that this week, is a recovery week. fewer miles, easier paces. Thank Heavens I only have 2 more 30 mile weekends to go.
And now it is Sunday. Ah. Neither of us could sleep very well last night, Ben was working quite a bit, and my body was sore...so not a good night for rest. Ben had to get up early for meetings, and was gone before I opened my eyes. I got to wake up to a little girl climbing into my bed and cuddling up with me. We talked about our dreams we had had, and then watched the sunrise outside my window. It was so sweet and yeah, I was 5 min late for church because of it. But I love those little quiet sweet moments with your kids. They are so rare.
And with that, I think I am done for this week. I need to post video of Sophie singing OH Christmas Tree at the top of her lungs out our front door, it was too cute. I was sad when Harrison so rudely told her how annoying her singing was. Mean older brothers. Yeah, he got the word from me on that one.
But for now, I am tired. I am not sore anymore so I think I will be able to get some good sleep tonight. I hope Ben does too. He has been working so much this week. Levi is presenting their product to the big dogs in San Francisco in the morning. I really hope it all goes well. But, they are an amazing group, so I think it will.
And now, Good night.
I have started cheating with Family Home Evening, let me explain. Since I am in Young Women's now and get to enjoy hearing a great lesson over basic gospel doctrine each Sunday I have been taking notes and pretty much copying the lesson to use for FHE the following night. It is working beautifully. Then I don't have a brain cramp trying to figure out what to teach, it is already planned, and I feel like the kids are actually learning things they need to know. This week we talked about what the Godhead was and then all learned the First Article of Faith together. Tonight they all passed it off to me and will be getting na extra special treat from the store tomorrow. See how well this cheating works out for me? Beautifully.
I know most everyone who reads this blog is living in UT...I'm sorry for the next sentence. The weather here has been 100% absolutely perfect!! My kids get worn out running around outside all afternoon and come in all sweaty and ready to settle down. mmm. perfect. So on early out day we made a play date with friends to meet at the park. Several came and we had such a fun time. They each a few friends to play with. I got to visit with good friends I hadn't seen in a while (one jut had a baby, another about to have a baby) and it was a perfect afternoon at the park. Love those days,
As soon as we were done at the park though, we hurried home, grabbed a bite of dinner, and then James and I were off to the church. I had a meeting 2 hrs before YW/YM & scouts started so I just took James with me. He was good and did his homework, then a friend happened to be at the church as well so they played ball while we had our presidency meeting. It was good. The women I serve with are simply amazing and I am constantly learning from them. THey are the most loving women I have ever met, and I am reminded yet once again that the most important thing in live is to love.
We had our YW activity, which was a class activity. It was really fun. We made caramel popcorn, planned out and got ready for our YW/YM combined activity this coming week that we are in charge of and just had a good time getting to know each other while doing all of that. They are great girls, and I am glad I get to be with them.
Thursday I tried something new. Ben and I played a "game" of tennis together. Something we have never done before. I think the last time I played tennis was in PE in Jr High. So yeah, its been at least 15 years. It was pretty entertaining. Ben served the ball, I went to hit it and hit myself with the racket instead. I think he then realized just how bad I was. He served more carefully from then on. WE played for a good hr and had a really fun time. It was like a mini morning date. We made fools of ourselves I'm sure, but hey, it was worth it. We will be back there again this Thursday.
After our game of Tennis, Sophie had her friend, Eve, over for the day. Those two girls are so sweet together. They played nicely the entire day (from 10-5) And even shared their dinners, snacks, toys, dresses and everything else with each other the whole time. At one point I was downstairs cleaning up and I could hear them upstairs whispering and then laughing laughing laughing.I snuck up the stairs to see what they were up to. They had sophies make up (bright eyeshadow) and were putting it on each other and just giggling at every little thing. I loved it. I loved seeing them so happy and having so much fun.
Friday I promised the boys I would meet them for lunch at school again. I also promised I would bring them a special lunch. They were very lucky boys as I got them Happy Meals. We don't get those very often as they are pricey and unhealthy. But it made their day and we had a lot of fun together at the school. Sophie did her "make-up" before we left and everyone commented on how pretty she was. Harrison had a good day at school because they had read a book about Chicken Soup with Rice and in class they ate chicken soup and had crackers for their snack. He thought that was pretty great. James has been much happier at school this week and I am not sure if it iss because he feels pretty cool with a nook these days or what, but whatever the reason I am grateful. I like having my happy James back.
Saturday I did my run, which I will go into more detail in a minute, we cleaned up, got laundry done, Ben mowed lawns....all the usual Saturday stuff and then we ended the night with a date! We don't go out very much as it adds up quickly with a babysitter, food etc... But we had a fun time together. WE just went out to dinner. I was starving, Ben was starving. We ate our food in about 2 minutes. Even the waitress commented on how quickly the food disappeared. That's what you get when you run 50 miles in a week...a constantly starving person, and ben is just always hungry. :)
So yeah, I ran a bazillion miles this week and last week. I am not going to lie, it was a really rough week for training. Every single run was hard, and painful, and just slooooow. My legs seemed dead all week, I kept waiting for my body to just snap out of it and wake up already. But no, it didn't happen. I was 3 miles into my 10 miler on Friday when I came this close to just stopping. In my head I was thinking "This is rediculous! Why do I do this to myself? I don't even like this anymore! I HATE this! I hate hate hate running and never want to run again!!!!!!" Yeah, I was done. But as I kept running I kept thinking. And as I kept thinking I started thinking and realizing that I was just at mile 16.
See in a marathon mile 16 is always where I start to falter, not a lot, but that's when my body starts to break down. At that point you have run 16 miles, which is a pretty good distance....but you still have 10 miles to go!!! And that thought...is exhausting. But, I always get through it. I always finish. I have never dropped out of race. And so, I am 2/3 done with my training. I have done a lot, still have a ways to go. But I will finish it, and I will finish it well. I finished up my 10 mile run. Prayed that my legs would last another 20 for the following morning and had a fabulous 20 miler with 3 of my friends. I felt great the entire way, and finished holding a solid pace of which I was very happy about. I am very glad though, that this week, is a recovery week. fewer miles, easier paces. Thank Heavens I only have 2 more 30 mile weekends to go.
And now it is Sunday. Ah. Neither of us could sleep very well last night, Ben was working quite a bit, and my body was sore...so not a good night for rest. Ben had to get up early for meetings, and was gone before I opened my eyes. I got to wake up to a little girl climbing into my bed and cuddling up with me. We talked about our dreams we had had, and then watched the sunrise outside my window. It was so sweet and yeah, I was 5 min late for church because of it. But I love those little quiet sweet moments with your kids. They are so rare.
And with that, I think I am done for this week. I need to post video of Sophie singing OH Christmas Tree at the top of her lungs out our front door, it was too cute. I was sad when Harrison so rudely told her how annoying her singing was. Mean older brothers. Yeah, he got the word from me on that one.
But for now, I am tired. I am not sore anymore so I think I will be able to get some good sleep tonight. I hope Ben does too. He has been working so much this week. Levi is presenting their product to the big dogs in San Francisco in the morning. I really hope it all goes well. But, they are an amazing group, so I think it will.
And now, Good night.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
James' Testimony, Dr. Sophie, & January Beach Days
This last week......
We spent two days the Beach and it was fabulous. I can never say enough about how much I love love Florida. It's the first week in January and we spent most of it outdoors & the rest of the time in our jammies being bums at home. It was a fabulous Christmas vacation.
Now onto this week....
Monday, New Years Eve. First half of the day in jammies, read a good book, went for a run & eventually showered and went to a friends party. We had such a great time. It was outside, we had a fire, made smores and the kids ran around and played with their friends. It was great...until James came to me freezing and shaking (it was only 60 degrees outsides). I told him to go sit in the car while I got the other kids. By the time we got back to the car the poor kid had a good old fever and chills goin on. So we went on home. I felt so bad leaving, it was only 8 pm and Sophie had really wanted to watch fireworks...but she fell asleep before we even made it home. So it turned out to be a very quiet New Years with just Ben Harrison and I. When it finally turned midnight we said Happy New Year and Harrison said "What's a New Year?". Funny boy.
James woke up feeling just fine & no one else ever got sick so I have no clue what that fever was all about. So we decided to have a little adventure that day and go to Gatorland. We had never been there, it is pretty expensive but we had gotten free tickets so we went. It was cool. There were gators everywhere, ginormous ones, tiny baby ones and everything in between. Some were so freakin huge I'm pretty sure I would crap my pants if I saw one in the wild. Glad there was a fence between me and them.
Wednesday I went for a good morning run, it was so warm and nice outside when I came home I decided we were going to the beach for the day. So we did. It was the best! It was perfectly warm, no wind. Ben made an awesome sand castle, the boys wore themselves out playing in the waves and throwing sand at each other and Sophie helped Ben get buckets of sand. And I finished another book. It was an awesome day.
That night I had a YW sleepover. It was wild. We planned out the years activities, ate lots of caramel popcorn, did hair & make-up, played just dance and stayed up until 5:30 am or later. Then got up at 7 am to make breakfast. Oh man. I was one tired mama by the time I got home. But it was really fun to goof off with the girls and get to know them better. I think I came home and slept half the day on Thursday.
It rained Friday, so we stayed in jammies, played games, & Sophie and I played Dr. She had me lay on the couch where she got her blankie, covered me and gave me her special corner. Then she got her Dr kit she got for Christmas. She was adorable. She took my temp, blood pressure, gave me a shot. Loved it. When she was getting her stethoscope I said "you are a good Dr, Sophie". She turned around, laughed and said "I not a Doctor. I just a kid!" So funny.
Friday I ran 10 miles, then Saturday morning I had another 19 miles to run. I was so glad and grateful for a couple friends to keep me going through all those miles. One of the girls had already done her long run but ended up running another 8.5 miles with me. And she was so great she wouldn't let me drop my pace, I was impressed. Thank you Tracy. And thank you Carmen for telling me many great stories to keep me entertained & pushing the pace for me. you ladies are great and I am glad I have you around to keep me running. It was a good run, but man, my legs were dead by the end. I have never done that many miles so close together and I thought my hamstring was going to snap. Glad I only have 3 more 30 mile weekends. I can do this.
After the run, I decided to ditch the pile of laundry in my room and we all went to the beach again. It was fabulous fun. And little cooler than the day before but we still had a wonderful time. I went for a long walk looking for a bright pink seashell. Harrison wanted one to give to Sophie. And I was just amazed at how beautiful the ocean is and once again, grateful that I actually get to live in this paradise. Love it so much. Ben made an even cooler sand castle that included a dragon head. I was very impressed.
After we got home, I decided to cut the boys hair, they were looking shabby. While I was cutting James hair I brought up a little conversation. I am planning on talking to him about the facts of life pretty soon here, but wanted to bring it up slowly and test the waters a bit. So I asked him "So James, do you ever wonder how mom's have babies?" J: "Um, NOPE!" E: "Really, well do you even wonder how the baby gets in the mom's belly?" J: "No. (rolling his eyes) because I already know. Heavenly Father puts them there...duh mom." I love that kid. And I love that he is completely clueless about sex. But yes, I still need to tell him. This should be awesome.
Anyways, that was this week. The kids start school tomorrow and it's time. I need to get back into a routine of things and James and Harrison need to get their bums back in school. I'm trying to think of things kids said this week.....
Sophie: Mom you know we should always be nice. We shouldn't be mean, I am being nice right now....you are being mean.
Punk daughter.
Speaking of punk daughter, she started Primary today. No more Nursery. She was so excited. She has been asking for the last year when she gets to go to primary, and today she finally got to go. She loved it. She loved singing the songs, she has a fabulous teacher who just loves her and is super sweet. I am excited.
Oh YEAH, and James bore his testimony today. It was great. He got a nook for Christmas and he loves the thing. So last week he told me he wanted to bare his testimony. He wrote it all out on his nook and then very first thing today he went up and gave it. It was great. It went something like this.... Today I want to bare my testimony about my life. The subject is feeling the spirit. When I read the book of mormon it helps me learn more about Jesus Christ"
And then he sat on down. It was awesome. I was very proud of him for going up there and doing it all by himself. Good job James,
Okay now that I have bored you all to tears I am off to bed....no more sleeping in. Good night!
We spent two days the Beach and it was fabulous. I can never say enough about how much I love love Florida. It's the first week in January and we spent most of it outdoors & the rest of the time in our jammies being bums at home. It was a fabulous Christmas vacation.
Now onto this week....
Monday, New Years Eve. First half of the day in jammies, read a good book, went for a run & eventually showered and went to a friends party. We had such a great time. It was outside, we had a fire, made smores and the kids ran around and played with their friends. It was great...until James came to me freezing and shaking (it was only 60 degrees outsides). I told him to go sit in the car while I got the other kids. By the time we got back to the car the poor kid had a good old fever and chills goin on. So we went on home. I felt so bad leaving, it was only 8 pm and Sophie had really wanted to watch fireworks...but she fell asleep before we even made it home. So it turned out to be a very quiet New Years with just Ben Harrison and I. When it finally turned midnight we said Happy New Year and Harrison said "What's a New Year?". Funny boy.
James woke up feeling just fine & no one else ever got sick so I have no clue what that fever was all about. So we decided to have a little adventure that day and go to Gatorland. We had never been there, it is pretty expensive but we had gotten free tickets so we went. It was cool. There were gators everywhere, ginormous ones, tiny baby ones and everything in between. Some were so freakin huge I'm pretty sure I would crap my pants if I saw one in the wild. Glad there was a fence between me and them.
Wednesday I went for a good morning run, it was so warm and nice outside when I came home I decided we were going to the beach for the day. So we did. It was the best! It was perfectly warm, no wind. Ben made an awesome sand castle, the boys wore themselves out playing in the waves and throwing sand at each other and Sophie helped Ben get buckets of sand. And I finished another book. It was an awesome day.
That night I had a YW sleepover. It was wild. We planned out the years activities, ate lots of caramel popcorn, did hair & make-up, played just dance and stayed up until 5:30 am or later. Then got up at 7 am to make breakfast. Oh man. I was one tired mama by the time I got home. But it was really fun to goof off with the girls and get to know them better. I think I came home and slept half the day on Thursday.
It rained Friday, so we stayed in jammies, played games, & Sophie and I played Dr. She had me lay on the couch where she got her blankie, covered me and gave me her special corner. Then she got her Dr kit she got for Christmas. She was adorable. She took my temp, blood pressure, gave me a shot. Loved it. When she was getting her stethoscope I said "you are a good Dr, Sophie". She turned around, laughed and said "I not a Doctor. I just a kid!" So funny.
Friday I ran 10 miles, then Saturday morning I had another 19 miles to run. I was so glad and grateful for a couple friends to keep me going through all those miles. One of the girls had already done her long run but ended up running another 8.5 miles with me. And she was so great she wouldn't let me drop my pace, I was impressed. Thank you Tracy. And thank you Carmen for telling me many great stories to keep me entertained & pushing the pace for me. you ladies are great and I am glad I have you around to keep me running. It was a good run, but man, my legs were dead by the end. I have never done that many miles so close together and I thought my hamstring was going to snap. Glad I only have 3 more 30 mile weekends. I can do this.
After the run, I decided to ditch the pile of laundry in my room and we all went to the beach again. It was fabulous fun. And little cooler than the day before but we still had a wonderful time. I went for a long walk looking for a bright pink seashell. Harrison wanted one to give to Sophie. And I was just amazed at how beautiful the ocean is and once again, grateful that I actually get to live in this paradise. Love it so much. Ben made an even cooler sand castle that included a dragon head. I was very impressed.
After we got home, I decided to cut the boys hair, they were looking shabby. While I was cutting James hair I brought up a little conversation. I am planning on talking to him about the facts of life pretty soon here, but wanted to bring it up slowly and test the waters a bit. So I asked him "So James, do you ever wonder how mom's have babies?" J: "Um, NOPE!" E: "Really, well do you even wonder how the baby gets in the mom's belly?" J: "No. (rolling his eyes) because I already know. Heavenly Father puts them there...duh mom." I love that kid. And I love that he is completely clueless about sex. But yes, I still need to tell him. This should be awesome.
Anyways, that was this week. The kids start school tomorrow and it's time. I need to get back into a routine of things and James and Harrison need to get their bums back in school. I'm trying to think of things kids said this week.....
Sophie: Mom you know we should always be nice. We shouldn't be mean, I am being nice right now....you are being mean.
Punk daughter.
Speaking of punk daughter, she started Primary today. No more Nursery. She was so excited. She has been asking for the last year when she gets to go to primary, and today she finally got to go. She loved it. She loved singing the songs, she has a fabulous teacher who just loves her and is super sweet. I am excited.
Oh YEAH, and James bore his testimony today. It was great. He got a nook for Christmas and he loves the thing. So last week he told me he wanted to bare his testimony. He wrote it all out on his nook and then very first thing today he went up and gave it. It was great. It went something like this.... Today I want to bare my testimony about my life. The subject is feeling the spirit. When I read the book of mormon it helps me learn more about Jesus Christ"
And then he sat on down. It was awesome. I was very proud of him for going up there and doing it all by himself. Good job James,
Okay now that I have bored you all to tears I am off to bed....no more sleeping in. Good night!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Another Year Over, A New One Just Begun
I literally cannot believe an entire year has come and gone. I swear I blinked and it was the new year all over again. So, I guess it is appropriate to review last year......
January
-Ben ran the Disney World Half Marathon
-I ran the Disney World Full Marathon
-I went with James & Harrison on "Our Town" field trips at school
-I was called into the RS Presidency, counselor over activities..same calling I had in UT before we moved.
-Ben starts a company on the side, with old friend Levi Belnap. Still full time employed at Highwinds.
February
-I ran the Melbourne Full Marathon and placed 3rd in my age division.
-We celebrated Valentines day with mini cakes from the bakery and an awesome dance party at home.
-Took the kids to get frozen hot chocolates one day and they got served iced coffee instead....whoops.
March
-Spring Break for the kids. Spent the week at a hotel in Disney World. Our annual passes were expiring, so we went out with a bang. It was a fantastic trip. Free Bfasts, cheap hotel, ice cream treats at Disney, fireworks, lots of pool time and so many many memories. We really miss our annual passes. It was a beautiful thing to just go to Disney any old day we wanted. We are super spoiled, we know.
-Sophie turned 3. We had a Hello Kitty party and a great time with friends. She had a fabulous day and loved having all her friends over.
-We cut 8 inches off Sophie's hair
April
-My sister and her family came to visit for just a couple days. We spent those days at the Beach and Disney. My kids loved seeing their cousins.
-Ben's parents & brother, Andy, came out to visit for James' baptism. We went to the beach, Universal Studios. Played Just Dance 3. And spent a perfect evening at the Three Broomsticks alone drinking frozen Butterbeers. mmm. good times.
-Took the boys on a 10 mile bike ride. Got a flat halfway out. Ben didn't answer the phone and we ended up walking our butts on home. It wasn't amazing, but now we can laugh at it.
-James turned 8 and was Baptized. It was a perfectly beautiful event and I am so proud of him. He really is a good boy and I am lucky to be his mom.
May
-I turned 30. Meh. It's about time, I do have 3 kids.
-I went to Portland for my brother's, Jay, wedding. I spent a week out there with family and had a blast with them all. We ate too many donuts, went running, walked along the coast and stayed up all night making my brothers wedding video for him. It was a great trip.
-Harrison turned 6 and I missed his bday due to the wedding. Ben made sure he had a great day though and sent me lots of pics. He is the sweetest thing, and always makes us laugh.
-Sophie started swim lessons and became our little fish
June
-School ended, thank heavens. Harrison's teacher informed me after the last day of school that she didn't think he would make it in 1st grade. Uh, thanks for the info after school ended? What? WE worked all summer and got him caught up and ready for 1st grade.
-We went on a family trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia. It was a fabulous trip. We stayed in a cabin with a little creek and spent our time makng smores, fishing, relaxing, hiking, exploring, eating fudge, fresh peaches and the best dang peach ice cream ever.
-James joined a swim team and took first in 3 events in his first swim meet. He amazed us all with his butterfly stroke and endurance. Everyone called him Micheal Phelps.
July
-We moved. Again. Bleh. I hate moving. So. Dang. much. But it was worth it. We moved less than a mile away, into a sweet home. I call it our cottage. It has a porch, and is across the street from a lake and some woods. It also has a nice backyard and a super long driveway so our kids are in heaven playing outside everyday. We love it here.
-Harrison started Basketball and had a great time. He scored in every game he played. So proud of him.
-Ben quits his full time Job at highwinds and goes full time with his own company, Peoplematics. Something he has always wanted to do, so proud of him.
August
-Ben went out to UT for his sister's wedding. We are so happy to see her with such a great guy.
-Kids started another new school...again. sigh. But we love this school too. we got lucky and Harrison got a phenomenal teacher who has helped him do so well this year. We feel very blessed by the improvements he has made so far. James loves being a part of the science team at school and being a part of kids town. (the school has a "town"..kids make things, sell them...they even have a mayor it is really cool)
-I start to unpack and set up house. again. ;)
-Over the entire summer we went with our ward once a week to the Beach, it was always a great time with all our friends, can't wait to do that again this year.
September
-Randomly bought cheap tickets to UT and went to see family and friends for a couple weeks.
-James Ben Grandpa Robertson, and James' cousin Aubrey hiked Mt. Timp. I was waaay impressed that they did that. THey had a great time and are pretty tough kids.
-My kids looooooved seeing family and friends and were sad to leave UT. I was happy to see that they were still such great friends, picked up right where they left off.
-I ran my 3rd full Marathon this year. Huntsville Marathon. It wasn't my best....by far....but I got to see an old friend and had a great time running through the beautiful canyon with the fall leaves.
October
-Halloween. Is the best in FL. No joke. Not too cold to Trick or Treat or having to cover your costume with a coat. We had a great time with friends, lots of chili, root beer, candy, trick or treating & fun with friends. Sophie was the most beautiful little cinderella you ever saw. James and Harrison were Zombies and made their own costumes. They got some serious candy.
-Ben and I finally made it to Halloween Horror nights, it was a great time.
-James competes in the pinewood derby, He mostly made his car with some help from Ben. He didn't win, but was a good sport about it and enjoyed building a car.
-Sophie gets a bike and hasn't stopped riding it since.
November
-I started training for another Marathon, shocking I know.
-James and Harrison had their primary program, they both had their parts memorized and did a fantastic job. Harrison may or may not have crossed his eye at the audience when he was done. Silly boy.
-Harrison finally learns how to write legibly. In fact, he has the best handwriting out of the 3 kids. go Harrison!
-Thanksgiving...was delicious, delightful and full of awesome food and friends. WE love the Hillis family for being our family here in FL.
December
-Full Christmas dinners, parties and functions. Glad I was only in charge of a few of them. But we had a great time at all.
-I got released from RS and called into the YW presidency. I am nervous, but excited to work with the youth. THey are a great bunch of girls.
-Ben made 20+ amazing snowflakes...including a mickey mouse one, a cat one and a hoodabunga one. (don't ask). ;)
-Took all the kids (one at a time) to the dollar store to buy each other presents. It was so fun to see them get so excited to give each their gifts.
-Studied the life of Christ with the kids as we celebrated his birth this month.
-Spent Christmas Eve at a friends for a Mexican feast. Best food ever. We spent the evening laughing, eating and just having a great time. THanks Boehner, Hillis and Martinez families.
-Had a fabulous Christmas together, plenty of gifts, lots of friends, we are truly blessed.
Over the year...
-James loves loves loves scouts. He looks forward to it each week. He works so hard to earn everything as quickly as he can. I love seeing him enjoy it so much.
-Harrison is an amazing artist. He is now making the art to frame for the kids room with different characters they like. It is so cute. Minnie/Mickey Mouse, Cats, TRansformers.. etc
-Sophie can't wait to grow up and be....a dancer, a mom, & a doctor. She plays plays plays all day, but loves to help me with my chores. She helps put away all the laundry and wiping down bathrooms. She is my little helper. She also loves to watch Disney Jr, We love to watch Charlie and Lola together every morning after the boys go off to school. She is constantly asking me to play Barbies with her and is always in the mood for dark (70%) chocolate.
I look over this year I am amazed at all we were able to do and enjoy. It wasn't the year I had envisioned when it started. Truthfully I thought we would be having another baby this year, but it appears that isn't in the cards for us.....who knows when/if it will be. (we are truly okay with this, we feel so blessed to have 3 healthy happy kids we are just happy we get to be their parents). So, please, don't feel bad.
I didn't think we'd be moving into such a perfect home for our fam. We love it so much.
I didn't know I'd have so many friends that felt like family to me. There are so many people here that treat us like family and we love them all so much.
I didn't have any idea Ben would be quitting his full time job and starting his own company, it's something we've talked about doing for years and years, but has never really worked out. So glad that things have finally come together to make this happen for him and us.
I am so grateful for being so blessed with so much. I am often in awe of all that we have been given. And so it is with many thanks that we say goodbye to last year and look forward to what life has in store for us this year. Happy New Year Everyone.
January
-Ben ran the Disney World Half Marathon
-I ran the Disney World Full Marathon
-I went with James & Harrison on "Our Town" field trips at school
-I was called into the RS Presidency, counselor over activities..same calling I had in UT before we moved.
-Ben starts a company on the side, with old friend Levi Belnap. Still full time employed at Highwinds.
February
-I ran the Melbourne Full Marathon and placed 3rd in my age division.
-We celebrated Valentines day with mini cakes from the bakery and an awesome dance party at home.
-Took the kids to get frozen hot chocolates one day and they got served iced coffee instead....whoops.
March
-Spring Break for the kids. Spent the week at a hotel in Disney World. Our annual passes were expiring, so we went out with a bang. It was a fantastic trip. Free Bfasts, cheap hotel, ice cream treats at Disney, fireworks, lots of pool time and so many many memories. We really miss our annual passes. It was a beautiful thing to just go to Disney any old day we wanted. We are super spoiled, we know.
-Sophie turned 3. We had a Hello Kitty party and a great time with friends. She had a fabulous day and loved having all her friends over.
-We cut 8 inches off Sophie's hair
April
-My sister and her family came to visit for just a couple days. We spent those days at the Beach and Disney. My kids loved seeing their cousins.
-Ben's parents & brother, Andy, came out to visit for James' baptism. We went to the beach, Universal Studios. Played Just Dance 3. And spent a perfect evening at the Three Broomsticks alone drinking frozen Butterbeers. mmm. good times.
-Took the boys on a 10 mile bike ride. Got a flat halfway out. Ben didn't answer the phone and we ended up walking our butts on home. It wasn't amazing, but now we can laugh at it.
-James turned 8 and was Baptized. It was a perfectly beautiful event and I am so proud of him. He really is a good boy and I am lucky to be his mom.
May
-I turned 30. Meh. It's about time, I do have 3 kids.
-I went to Portland for my brother's, Jay, wedding. I spent a week out there with family and had a blast with them all. We ate too many donuts, went running, walked along the coast and stayed up all night making my brothers wedding video for him. It was a great trip.
-Harrison turned 6 and I missed his bday due to the wedding. Ben made sure he had a great day though and sent me lots of pics. He is the sweetest thing, and always makes us laugh.
-Sophie started swim lessons and became our little fish
June
-School ended, thank heavens. Harrison's teacher informed me after the last day of school that she didn't think he would make it in 1st grade. Uh, thanks for the info after school ended? What? WE worked all summer and got him caught up and ready for 1st grade.
-We went on a family trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia. It was a fabulous trip. We stayed in a cabin with a little creek and spent our time makng smores, fishing, relaxing, hiking, exploring, eating fudge, fresh peaches and the best dang peach ice cream ever.
-James joined a swim team and took first in 3 events in his first swim meet. He amazed us all with his butterfly stroke and endurance. Everyone called him Micheal Phelps.
July
-We moved. Again. Bleh. I hate moving. So. Dang. much. But it was worth it. We moved less than a mile away, into a sweet home. I call it our cottage. It has a porch, and is across the street from a lake and some woods. It also has a nice backyard and a super long driveway so our kids are in heaven playing outside everyday. We love it here.
-Harrison started Basketball and had a great time. He scored in every game he played. So proud of him.
-Ben quits his full time Job at highwinds and goes full time with his own company, Peoplematics. Something he has always wanted to do, so proud of him.
August
-Ben went out to UT for his sister's wedding. We are so happy to see her with such a great guy.
-Kids started another new school...again. sigh. But we love this school too. we got lucky and Harrison got a phenomenal teacher who has helped him do so well this year. We feel very blessed by the improvements he has made so far. James loves being a part of the science team at school and being a part of kids town. (the school has a "town"..kids make things, sell them...they even have a mayor it is really cool)
-I start to unpack and set up house. again. ;)
-Over the entire summer we went with our ward once a week to the Beach, it was always a great time with all our friends, can't wait to do that again this year.
September
-Randomly bought cheap tickets to UT and went to see family and friends for a couple weeks.
-James Ben Grandpa Robertson, and James' cousin Aubrey hiked Mt. Timp. I was waaay impressed that they did that. THey had a great time and are pretty tough kids.
-My kids looooooved seeing family and friends and were sad to leave UT. I was happy to see that they were still such great friends, picked up right where they left off.
-I ran my 3rd full Marathon this year. Huntsville Marathon. It wasn't my best....by far....but I got to see an old friend and had a great time running through the beautiful canyon with the fall leaves.
October
-Halloween. Is the best in FL. No joke. Not too cold to Trick or Treat or having to cover your costume with a coat. We had a great time with friends, lots of chili, root beer, candy, trick or treating & fun with friends. Sophie was the most beautiful little cinderella you ever saw. James and Harrison were Zombies and made their own costumes. They got some serious candy.
-Ben and I finally made it to Halloween Horror nights, it was a great time.
-James competes in the pinewood derby, He mostly made his car with some help from Ben. He didn't win, but was a good sport about it and enjoyed building a car.
-Sophie gets a bike and hasn't stopped riding it since.
November
-I started training for another Marathon, shocking I know.
-James and Harrison had their primary program, they both had their parts memorized and did a fantastic job. Harrison may or may not have crossed his eye at the audience when he was done. Silly boy.
-Harrison finally learns how to write legibly. In fact, he has the best handwriting out of the 3 kids. go Harrison!
-Thanksgiving...was delicious, delightful and full of awesome food and friends. WE love the Hillis family for being our family here in FL.
December
-Full Christmas dinners, parties and functions. Glad I was only in charge of a few of them. But we had a great time at all.
-I got released from RS and called into the YW presidency. I am nervous, but excited to work with the youth. THey are a great bunch of girls.
-Ben made 20+ amazing snowflakes...including a mickey mouse one, a cat one and a hoodabunga one. (don't ask). ;)
-Took all the kids (one at a time) to the dollar store to buy each other presents. It was so fun to see them get so excited to give each their gifts.
-Studied the life of Christ with the kids as we celebrated his birth this month.
-Spent Christmas Eve at a friends for a Mexican feast. Best food ever. We spent the evening laughing, eating and just having a great time. THanks Boehner, Hillis and Martinez families.
-Had a fabulous Christmas together, plenty of gifts, lots of friends, we are truly blessed.
Over the year...
-James loves loves loves scouts. He looks forward to it each week. He works so hard to earn everything as quickly as he can. I love seeing him enjoy it so much.
-Harrison is an amazing artist. He is now making the art to frame for the kids room with different characters they like. It is so cute. Minnie/Mickey Mouse, Cats, TRansformers.. etc
-Sophie can't wait to grow up and be....a dancer, a mom, & a doctor. She plays plays plays all day, but loves to help me with my chores. She helps put away all the laundry and wiping down bathrooms. She is my little helper. She also loves to watch Disney Jr, We love to watch Charlie and Lola together every morning after the boys go off to school. She is constantly asking me to play Barbies with her and is always in the mood for dark (70%) chocolate.
I look over this year I am amazed at all we were able to do and enjoy. It wasn't the year I had envisioned when it started. Truthfully I thought we would be having another baby this year, but it appears that isn't in the cards for us.....who knows when/if it will be. (we are truly okay with this, we feel so blessed to have 3 healthy happy kids we are just happy we get to be their parents). So, please, don't feel bad.
I didn't think we'd be moving into such a perfect home for our fam. We love it so much.
I didn't know I'd have so many friends that felt like family to me. There are so many people here that treat us like family and we love them all so much.
I didn't have any idea Ben would be quitting his full time job and starting his own company, it's something we've talked about doing for years and years, but has never really worked out. So glad that things have finally come together to make this happen for him and us.
I am so grateful for being so blessed with so much. I am often in awe of all that we have been given. And so it is with many thanks that we say goodbye to last year and look forward to what life has in store for us this year. Happy New Year Everyone.
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