White Family News

Lesson learned

2009-11-11T09:47:00.002-07:00

Today I learned a very important lesson in parenting: ALWAYS, no matter what, make sure I am dressed before Emma goes out to the bus.

Our typical morning routine is this. I sleep as long as the kids will let me. Then when I have to, I roll out of bed, go into Emma's room to get her started on getting dressed, come back into my room, plug in the flat iron, go potty, and wait for Emma to show up. Then I style Emma's hair, grab the boys, and we all go downstairs to eat, get Emma's coat on, and usher her out the door to catch the bus.

Now, it is important to note that the bus picks up Emma right across the street from our house. And I watch out the window to see when the bus is just about there, then I send her across the street, watching her as she goes.

Well today was no different. Except when I rolled out of bed and looked down at what I was wearing - a flimsy tank top and Brian's underwear - I decided to pull some running capris on for a little warmth/modesty. Fast forward to Emma running out the door to the bus. I stood in the doorway watching/freezing. She made it across the street, then towards the bus. Then the unthinkable happened - she took a nose dive right there on the sidewalk. I froze. Prayed she would get up and continue on. But there she was, face-down and sprawled out on the sidewalk, screaming. I looked toward the house longingly, praying to God he would make some shoes, or a cover-up - ANYTHING appear. But there wasn't time. Emma was crying. The neighbor lady was bending over her. And the bus was waiting. I had to go. So there I ran, down the driveway, across the street, and along the sidewalk. Barefoot. Flimsy tank top. No bra. Morning face and hair.

Emma was fine. Just a bump on her knee and a bruised ego. She chose to get on the bus and continue on to school. I, on the other hand, might take a little longer to recover.

Catching up: Labor Day Camping

2009-10-23T19:00:00.007-06:00

We got home from church Sunday of Labor Day weekend, and I got to thinking. I'm not one to let a perfectly good vacation day go to waste, and with no school or work the next day, I suggested we go camping.

Me: Honey, why don't we do something spontaneous and pack up the car and go camping?
Honey: Go take your pills and lay down.

So it took a little convincing, but Brian got on board and the kids jumped right in and started packing. (Isaiah had already arranged a sleepover at G&G's house, which he chose to keep instead of camping with us.) Within an hour we had food packed, gear loaded and we were on our way. Where? We didn't know. Life is short! Live spontaneous!

I was actually prepared to pull off the road somewhere and set up camp by a creek, dig a hole in the ground, and call it good. However, my Darling Husband's idea of roughing it is rolling the dice at a Motel 6. So we compromised and found a campground.

We ended up finding a lovely site at a small campground, right on a creek, and with a bathroom near by!

My studly Mountain Man got the fire rolling.

Noah and some chips. Actually, as I go through the pictures, Noah is holding chips in almost all of them. No wonder my kids like camping.

Camping is so much fun!

Noah is off on a Manventure.

Keep in mind it was a balmy 68-or so degrees. But my Girl was determined to swim!

Enjoying a sausage dinner.

Biniam LOVES sausage dinners!

Here's my kids' idea of roughing it. Cramming into the van and watching a movie on an 8-inch screen. But hey - that left Brian and I alone by the campfire for the evening. A date in the woods!

Catching up: Isaiah's 3rd Birthday

2009-10-23T15:39:00.015-06:00

Isaiah turned the Big 3 in September, and since he'd never really had a big party before, we decided to go all out. I chose a Carnival theme, going for lots of color, fair-type food and tons of candy.

Fresh popcorn was at-hand for all to enjoy.

Food consisted of country-fair staples such as corndogs, corn on the cob, hot wings and watermelon.

Instead of a cake I baked cupcakes inside ice cream cones. They were easy to hold and so cute too!

Little signs labeled things around the party.

A wall displayed photos I had taken of Isaiah a few days earlier.

Carnival games were set up around the yard.

Yes, that is a real fish in the bowl. The kids "caught" fake fish, but got to trade them at the end for real goldfish.

One of the centerpieces. All about candy and color!

I made the tissue flowers and hung them all over the house and yard.

Isaiah's look of surprise when he saw the main attraction - the Rainbow Balloon Lady!

The kids lined up for a continuous two hours to see balloon creations come to life. There were hats, aliens, fishing poles with fish, and more!

Isaiah got a motorcycle.

Why is it that an any social event, the men all end up segregated?

There was a face painting station set up, using Emma's vanity.

The kids loved their face paints!

Here I am, fiddling with the tri pod. We set up a photo booth for people to take candids with the self-timer.

Biniam and Emma goofing around.

Me and my BFF.

Such a cute family!

There was quite a mob when the presents came out. Isaiah is somewhere in the middle!

As the party started winding down, the kids started becoming comatose from all the sugar.

Some of the aftermath...

It took a while to get things back to order, but it was worth it for the memories. Happy birthday, Isaiah!

Catching up: Emma's first day of school

2009-10-23T15:24:00.003-06:00

Quick! For the moment my computer is lacking the Blue Screen of Death. So I'm going to catch up on as many belated posts as possible. Bear with me. :)

Here are photos from Emma's first day of school.

Here she is, outside her school. Doesn't she look darling? By the way, it's not easy picking the perfect first-day-of-school outfit that looks school-ish while also sufficing for 90-degree weather. This picture makes me happy and sad. Happy, because my girl is so happy, and so grown up. Sad, because my girl is so grown up. And also sad because we can't find this sweater ANYWHERE. Dang.

Walking up to the play yard where the kids line up before class. I think Brian and I were more nervous than Emma was. I bawled earlier in the morning when I looked out the window and saw all the neighbor kids getting on the bus. I couldn't believe this was really happening!

We said goodbye and watched Emma walk in with her classmates. She just said "bye!" and walked right in. Brian and I looked at each other and shrugged. I guess that was it!

I put the little boys in the stroller and went for a run while Emma was at school. For some reason my legs took us back to Emma's school, where we ran around it, then barely made it home in time to catch Emma getting off the bus.

Praise the Lord, I - I mean SHE survived!

Best Buds

2009-10-22T13:57:00.003-06:00

When I was pregnant with Noah I was blessed enough to have a BF who was pregnant at the same time. It was great having someone to share in the misery - I mean joy of what I was going through.

Well, Noah was blessed too because my friend delivered a boy also - just one day after Noah was born. Noah loves Drew. The two are just like brothers with a genuine love/hate relationship. Mostly love though. Noah walks around the house every day saying "where's Drew?"

Although they are only one day apart, you can see that their physical differences are quite noticeable. :)

Parenting: Harder on the Parents

2009-10-20T14:36:00.003-06:00

I remember as a kid, before my dad would spank me for being disobedient, he would say "this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you". Yeah, right, I thought.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about how parenting is so much harder on the parents than it is on the kids. What I mean is, I think whatever a child goes through emotionally, the parents are experiencing right along with them - or maybe even instead of them - but about ten times more intense.

The other night Brian was holding Emma's bear, Timmy, and I looked at him and said "you've never loved a stuffed animal so much, huh?". That bear is an extension of Emma, and I'll be darned if I don't love it more than all my childhood animals combined.

When Emma started school this year it brought so many emotions for me at warp-speed. Will she be safe? Will she make friends? Will kids tease her? Will she feel uncomfortable? Will her teacher love her and cherish her the way Emma deserves? What if Emma gets lost? Imagine the panic she will feel!

Of course from Emma's perspective her biggest concerns were things like, what kind of snack am I having today and how soon can I ride the big yellow bus home? See what I mean? These experiences are SO much harder on the parent than they are on the kid.

So today we found out that Emma's name came up in a lottery to be moved to a new classroom with the newly hired kindergarten teacher. We had been given the option of volunteering Emma to make the move, but Emma wanted to risk it, hoping that she would end up with her current teacher, whom she loves. But alas, Emma will be moving, and her best friend will NOT.

I cried when I got this news. My heart breaks for Emma. Not only that, but the Big Move happens the day before her birthday.

Brian and I will sit down with Emma tonight and give her the news. We will point out all the positive things in the situation. We will smile. But inside, our hearts will be hurting. But you know what? Emma will be fine. It's so much harder on us than it is on them.

Play Date?

2009-10-16T11:20:00.004-06:00

**Update Below**

Emma tends to be a little on the shy side at times, and takes a while to get comfortable in her surroundings. That's why when she started school this year, I encouraged her daily to get to know kids in her class, ask them to play at recess, etc. It literally took her WEEKS to figure out the names of the kids that sit on either side of her every.single.day.

So I was delighted yesterday when Emma came home from school and announced that she made a new friend! She then proceeded to tell me that they were going to have a sleepover. Whoa! What? I guess once she's comfortable there's no slowing her down!

I suggested to Emma that she ask the little girl for her phone number so I could call her mom and arrange a play date. Emma thought that was a great idea, and thoughtfully put her Hello Kitty notebook and a pencil in her backpack, so she could write down the phone number.

Keep in mind, these are 5-year old's we're talking about. Most of them have just barely memorized their phone numbers, let alone figured out how to write them. All morning long I've been chuckling to myself as I picture Emma and this girl trying to figure out how to contact each other. I can't wait to see what Emma comes home with today. :)

**Afternoon update: Emma came home with the phone number! But I was bummed to see she got her teacher to write out the phone number. No random numbers scribbled on a page. At least she's resourceful!

I do

2009-10-12T20:17:00.003-06:00

Tonight I made this and this.

And then Brian got down on one knee and asked me to marry him all over again.

And hopefully soon I'll be able to post pictures again and get back to real blogging. Hang in there.

Here a pig, there a pig, everywhere a pig, pig...

2009-10-08T10:20:00.002-06:00

There is a lot of talk about pigs around our house lately. Specifically the H1N1 type. Emma was diagnosed with the flu yesterday, and according to the Doctor (although we didn't have it confirmed through a test) it is the swine flu, since the seasonal flu hasn't shown up yet. Noah also had a low fever and similar symptoms to Emma's so the Dr. said he likely has it as well.

Basically I chose not to have the test done since it wouldn't affect treatment. There is a limited amount (of course - why can't we ever get the amount right?) of medication to treat the flu with, so only people under age 2, or with immune disorders can get treatment. And you also have to catch it in the first 48 hours. Well it had been about 52 hours since Noah's symptoms had shown up, which meant no treatment for him, either. The exception of course is if their symptoms become life-threatening, then they can get on the list for treatment. Ugh.

So we've been keeping the kids hydrated and trying to control fevers with Tylenol. And things were going pretty well. Then, at 3:30AM Emma came into our room, saying she didn't feel well. She was all flush, hot (103.3), coughing a croup-y cough, and having trouble breathing.

We talked to a nurse hotline, answered many questions, and waited for their recommendation. Finally they told us to take Emma to the ER, but first give her a 10-minute steam bath to loosen her up for the car ride.

During that 10-minutes a local Doctor called us back, and in a nutshell recommended we give Emma a fever reducer and check her again in 30 minutes. If her condition hadn't changed, take her in immediately. Otherwise, take her in first thing in the morning.

So we tucked Emma in next to our bed, prayed over her and set the alarm for a half hour. I stayed awake, listening to her breathe. And amazingly, she didn't cough or struggle to breathe that whole time. When I re-checked her temp at the end of the 1/2 hour, it was down to 101.9. So we went to sleep with the plan of seeing our Pediatrician first-thing.

When Emma woke up, I touched her forehead and it was cool. She sat up, said she was feeling fine, and when I took her temp it was a blessed 99.0. Praise the Lord! We ended up not having to see the Dr. at all, and are resting at home, praying that her temp stays below 100 all day. If so, Emma can go back to school tomorrow. As for the little boys, they are also seeming fine today, other than occasional coughs.

I've been reading a lot about swine flu in the last 24 hours. I also know at least a dozen people who have/had it in the last week or so. I've learned that it's really nothing to be fearful of. I mean, people need to be vigilant about protecting themselves by washing their hands frequently and staying away from anyone with a fever. And people with fevers need to be honest and just stay home until they're fever-free for 24 hours. Just those simple things can help keep people protected.

9 Years

2009-09-30T08:42:00.001-06:00

9 years ago I gave up my last name. It was the best thing I ever did.

Happy Anniversary, Babe! You make life so much sweeter!

Dead Air

2009-09-28T13:10:00.002-06:00

I interrupt this programming break to bring you an update on Noah's day.

This morning alone Noah has:

- Styled his own hair, using HALF a jar of Dad's styling product.
- Emptied the bathroom garbage on himself. TWICE.
- Poured KY Jelly all over the bedroom carpet. (Quit acting like you don't have some.)
- Gleefully emptied out a bottle of salt onto the kitchen floor.
- And finally, as I was typing the above, I turned around to see Noah ripping apart his sister's beloved school project.

I think it's time to have a Come to Jesus with this boy.

Yum-O

2009-09-09T19:53:00.002-06:00

I have had zucchini coming out of my ears this week. Today I grated and froze a bunch, in hopes that this winter I can keep the zucchini bread flowing. I have also been sneaking zucchini into recipes whenever possible. Like into waffles. Yum! Or tonight, inspired by Pioneer Woman's quesadilla recipe, I made quesadillas with zucchini instead of peppers. Yum!

But, friends, I have a new love. For dessert tonight we had Zucchini Apple Bread. It was love at first bite. We were meant to be together, Zucchini Apple Bread, and me.

Do yourself a favor. Get a zucchini. Get an apple (I used Gala). And use this recipe!

For the Record...

2009-09-03T20:49:00.002-06:00

...My girl started Kindergarten this week. My boy started High School this week. My other boy turned THREE this week. And, my main computer crashed. Said computer also hosts all my photo software. So no pictures this week. :( More to come, soon, hopefully.....

Redfish Lake 2009

2009-08-20T13:40:00.014-06:00

Oh me. Oh my. We just got back from The. Most. Awesome. camping trip. Seriously, I don't know where to start.

Okay, location. We went to Redfish Lake, just outside of Stanley, Idaho. A friend recently described it as "God's Country up there". So true. Pristine lake. Tall trees. Majestic Sawtooth Mountains. Creeks, rivers, hiking, deer, fox, beach, boats, horses, fishing...there is an endless supply of things to do and see. This is definitely in my Top Three (if not number one) most beautiful places I've ever been.

The people. With only two-days notice, my brother, sister-in-law, and their kids made the 10-hour drive to our house so they could go camping with us. Awesome.

Ah, sweet L. If you have a camera, he WILL find you!

Their kids get along great with our kids - especially their daughter and Emma, who are only a few months apart in age. The girls basically consider themselves "twins".

It was so fun having them all there with us. Plus one of the highlights was both my Niece and Nephew learning to ride two-wheeler bikes!

The stuff. I seriously don't know how we did it, but we got 11 people plus all our gear in just two minivans - no cargo boxes or trailers to help out. Our van alone had two bikes on top, three on the back, one inside, plus the tent, sleeping bags, air mattresses, coolers, blankets, suitcases, shade tent, tarp, lanterns, rubber raft, pots, pans, fishing poles, life jackets, etc. It was impressive. (Shout out to the awesome Honda Odyssey.)

Here's my Hot Husband doing the dishes.

Here's Biniam eating a HAMBURGER. Those of you who know him know this is HUGE.

Here I am, teaching Isaiah how to roast a marshmallow. "First, make sure you are wearing your helmet."

And here's Emma attempting to catch us dinner. We went hungry that day.

Our campsite was Awesome. Have I used that word yet? The kids could explore the woods right in our "back yard".

"I'm just going over here, Mom. Don't worry, I'll be safe. I brought my milk."

"Whoa! MOM! Did you SEE that chick-munk?"

We went for a hike which was of course limited by the Littles. But they did great and we all made it to a look-out point where we had a beautiful view looking down on the lake.
Emma was our official Guide as she brought along a pamphlet. Always prepared, that girl.

Here is our family picture. This could show up in a Christmas letter, so act surprised.
And here is me, in my Camping Face. Not a lot of people usually get to see me in this makeup-free glory.
Want a closer look?

Okay, I'll give you a second to clear that image out of your head. Here, look at a chubby baby.

What? You're still not feeling better? You won't be able to resist this next one. I know you won't, because neither could any of the people who walked by, and asked if they could also take this picture.
Doesn't get any better than that, folks.

Here are my three boys. Sometimes it strikes me as weird that I have three boys. I always thought I was more of a girl-mom.

I am running out of things to say about the remaining pictures, so I will just leave them to you and your imagination. Besides, I have to go get ready to collect my award for "Longest Blog Post Ever".

She might forget, but I sure won't

2009-08-12T10:21:00.003-06:00

Emma: Mom, how many more days until I start Kindergarten?

Me: Uh, 19 (insert sad face)

Emma: Why are you sad?

Me: Because I don't want my baby girl to grow up!

Emma: I will always be your baby girl, even when I'm a grown-up.

Me: Promise?

Emma: Yeah. But I might forget.

Rain!

2009-08-06T14:16:00.007-06:00

We've been in a heat-wave lately, but today woke up to rain - CRAZY rain, and cooler temperatures, too. I love the rain. I'm a Seattle Girl, so I think the rain brings comfort and familiarity to me. I also love me a good thunder storm, and even as I'm writing this I am surrounded by some pretty impressive lighting and thunder crashes. My friend Jonnie is probably hiding under her bed right now.

So today the kids headed outside to splash in some rain puddles. Emma loved it. She's been waiting for months and months to get to use her cute rain gear.

Isaiah was a little more reserved. Also, he's not a big fan of getting messy. So he quickly ditched the puddle nonsense and rode off on his bike.

Emma reminds me of me. I remember doing the exact same thing when I was young: running around the neighborhood, waving my umbrella at the lightning. Wait.

Noah is a natural. Although the umbrella is a little heavy, so he just drags it behind him....

...following his big sister.

She's a good big sister. Never minds having her brother in tow.

Tempting that lightning again.

Noah really couldn't get enough of the murky, stagnant water. Water that sits there for days as a result of too much automatic sprinklering (yes, it's a word) of irrigation water. Irrigation water that you're really not even supposed to play in straight-out-of-the-sprinkler, let alone been-sitting-there-for-three-weeks water. I'm a good mom. Really, I am. I gave him a bath almost immediately after. And even used soap.

Splash N Dash!

2009-07-23T07:03:00.006-06:00

While we were in Chelan, Emma also completed her first Triathlon - the kid's Splash N Dash. It consists of a 50 meter "swim" (it's in shallow water, and most kids walk it), almost 1 mile bike, and almost 1/4 mile run.

Biniam got to run along side Emma and accompany her through the whole race. Brian and I were thankful for that as we quickly realized how spent our legs were from our race earlier that morning.

Emma was in the last of seven heats, which was all kids 5 and under. She got right up to the start of the line for the swim and when the gun went off - she went for it! I fully expected her to walk the whole way through the water, but to my surprise she put her face in the water and attempted to swim part of it!

Emma came out of the water with a smile and determination to get to her transition area quickly. Brian and Biniam helped her get her gear on, then they ran her bike up the hill to the start of the bike route. Emma is the type who has a reputation of taking everything in and, let's say, taking time to smell the roses. So I was shocked at the speed and determination she was showing.

Emma took off on her bike with Biniam running beside her, and rounded the corner and out of our sight. Before long we could see them heading back towards us - concentration on Emma's face, concern for slowing down on Biniam's face.

Transition to run went smoothly and off they went through the park and up the hill. That's when I completely expected Emma to slow down and take a break. But she didn't! She kept on running her little heart out until the steep part of the hill where she took a very brief walking break, then continued running up the rest of the hill and back down to the finish line.

Emma crossed the finish line, received her medal and lots of praise and congrats from her fans. We were so proud!

Chelanman Triathlon

2009-07-22T10:04:00.008-06:00

Where to start? The triathlon weekend was so amazing. We traveled to Chelan for the event, which in my opinion is the perfect setting for a triathlon. The park where everything starts is grassy, shaded, has a play area for kids, and happens to be less than two miles from my Dad's house. In fact, from my Dad's house you can look down lake and see the park, and with binoculars see the racers.

Saturday was the day of the "big" races - 10k run, Half Ironman Tri, and Olympic Distance Tri. All day long there were runners and bikers going past the house. The race spirit was in the air and we could feel it! This would be the first triathlon for all three of us racers (me, Brian, and our friend, Jonnie) so we were anxious to see the experienced athletes. We headed down to the park to take it all in and get as many tips as possible for our race the following day.

Saturday night we went down to the park to drop off our bikes at the transition area and pick up our race numbers. The wind had been picking up all afternoon and by the time we got to the park it was like nothing I had ever seen in Chelan. The water surrounding the shores of the park looked more like an ocean than a lake. For the most part it was un-swimable, except for the few who decided to ride the "surf". It was entertaining to watch, but also a little concerning, as conditions like that would certainly make our race near impossible, if not canceled.

After attempting to sleep all night, we got up early Sunday morning to eat our pre-race breakfast and get our final belongings together and head down to the race. We got there about an hour early to set up our transition area, get our wetsuits on, stretch and try not to pee our pants from excitement.

Brian's heat was first, at 8:10, Jonnie was next at 8:16, and I was last at 8:50. Brian and Jonnie opted to do the half-mile swim, while I chose (wisely, I must say) to do the quarter-mile. The water was choppy, but nothing like the night before.

For the swim I opted to hang back at the start, and swim on the "outside" of the pack. That was on the advice of experts who suggest it is better to lose a little time and swim a little further, than get stuck in the congestion of the other swimmers. What I learned is that I should have had more confidence in my swimming ability, because I ended up getting frustrated as I was constantly trying to navigate around other swimmers and pass them.

I came out of the water feeling great, smiled for my fans - er, family, and had a pretty quick transition to bike. The bike ride was great, and I was surprised at how many bikers I passed considering I was on a mountain bike with slicks - not the most optimal racing bike. I had a head-wind the whole 6.5 miles out and was looking forward to the tail wind on the way back in. But right as I turned around, the wind stopped. Bummer! Another bummer was the dead deer around mile marker 1 that had been baking in the sun for two days.

As I rounded the final corner on my bike I could hear my fans cheering for me, then I hopped off the bike and ran (okay, probably walked) it down the grassy hill to transition, threw off my helmet and took off for the run.

The run is my weakest event, and the first quarter mile is through the park. With lots of people around. I just kept thinking to myself, "you can't walk now, you'll look like an idiot". So I ran my little heart out through that park, and then up a ridiculously steep hill out the park - someone's idea of a cruel joke. I did end up walking up most of that hill, but not before I saw Brian coming down it and in for his big finish, and reaching over to give him high five as we passed. I took one or two more short walking breaks on the way out on the run (not by the deer, though) and then ran the whole way back for my finish. I actually felt pretty good, even passed a couple people, and finished with a smile.

Final times

Brian - 1:40:39 (1/2 mile swim, 13 mile bike, 5k run)
156th overall out of 311 participants. 78th out of 96 Male participants. 17th out of 20 Male participants on his Age Group (35-39). Brian had a rough time in the chop of the swim, but still made it back in under his "worst-case-scenario" time. He rocked it in the bike and run.

Shana - 1:32:27 (1/4 mile swim, 13 mile bike, 5k run)
101st overall out of 299 participants. 60th out of 229 Female participants. 8th out of 35 Females in my Age group (30-34).

Trying on caps the night before:

Setting up our Transition Area:

Brian, Jonnie, Me:

At the start of Brian's swim:

Brian coming out of the water:
Brian at Transition 1 (swim-to-bike):
At the start of Shana's swim:
Shana coming out of the water:
Shana leaving T1 and heading out on bike:
Brian coming back on the bike:Shana heading out on the run:

Brian coming in to the finish:

Shana coming in to the finish:

We did it!

This morning's harvest

2009-07-21T09:59:00.002-06:00

Picked fresh from our garden this morning!

(Pics and details from last weekend's triathlon coming soon...)

My new crush

2009-07-09T22:28:00.002-06:00

Apparently I have been living under a rock and didn't know it. How is it that until last week I had never been to Pioneer Woman's blog? I'm almost mad at y'all for not tying me down in front of my computer and clicking through the pages for me. Almost.

Oh my word. I totally have a girl-crush on Pioneer Woman.

I stumbled on her blog last week and got sucked in. Way in. I can't. stop. reading. It's like a guilty-pleasure novel that I can't put down. I bring my laptop to bed at night and scroll through PW's archives until the wee hours of the morning. I need help!

But oh! The stories. And the beautiful ranch. And her amazing photography. And the food that I can practically taste through my monitor. Forget the crush. I want to BE Pioneer Woman!

Can I just start calling myself Pioneer Shana? I mean, I do have three raised garden beds. And a cat.

Germs, germs, GO AWAY!

2009-07-09T14:34:00.002-06:00

There are some icky germs going around our house right now. Currently the two little boys are down-and-out with nasty colds. Biniam has something going on with his eyes - maybe allergies - which has caused them to be extremely blood-shot for over 1 1/2 weeks. I have swimmers ear from all the training I've been doing in the pool. And I've been struggling to stay awake during the day the past few days.

None of that is dampening our excitement that in TEN DAYS we will be triathletes! That is, Brian, Emma and I will be. I am SO excited for Emma. Her swim is 50m, bike is just under 1 mile, and run is 1/4 mile. She has been a Rock Star during her training and will do great. This is already one of those way-proud-mama moments.

Please pray for healing on this household and that nothing will get in the way of our physical and mental preparations.

I always knew he'd taken him under his wings

2009-07-08T16:44:00.002-06:00

But I guess I didn't realize to what extent.

{Isaiah, coming out of the room he shares with Noah, after naptime today.}

Isaiah: "Come and get my Son!"
Me: {laughing} "Who's your Son?"
Isaiah: "Noah!"

Okay, then!

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T10:19:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow we will be two weeks out from our first triathlon. So today Brian and I did a dress-rehearsal at about 60-70% of the actual distance we will be doing. We started at our pool and swam .25 miles (which is the full distance of my tri, and half of Brian's), biked 7.7 miles (actual distance is 13 miles), and ran 2.2 miles (actual is 3.1 miles). Total time: 67 minutes.

This has been a tough training week. We have done 11 training workouts at a minimum of 100% distance - just since Monday. Brian and I are both physically drained. And we can't stop eating!

Now we're off to decorate the kid's bikes with red, white and blue streamers, make and eat yummy food, and blow up some TNT. Happy 4th!

Ants in my pants!

2009-07-03T08:29:00.003-06:00

So there I was, minding my own business, getting the kids breakfast. Then I looked outside. And saw the most horrifying sight.

ANTS!

At first glance I thought one of the kids had dumped dirt out of the flower pot again. And by "flower pot", I mean a pot with dirt in it. I seem to have something against actual flowers in my pots. But anyway, then I noticed that the dirt pile was moving. Aack!

I called Brian in a panic. Seriously, my heart was racing. I mean I can handle a few ants here and there. When I was pregnant with Emma and living in our first house, I would spend the mornings stomping on ants in the kitchen with my flip-flops. (We finally called in the professionals for that one.) But this was me against an army. Brian told me where the bug spray is so I armed myself, said a little prayer, and went to battle.

And I think I won.

Here is what I was up against.

Quick pause

2009-06-23T14:11:00.003-06:00

Let me hit the "pause" button here for a second, and catch my breath.

We got home Sunday night from our vacation in Chelan. We really had a wonderful time relaxing, swimming, boating, training, etc. All four of my kids are officially "tubers"! :)

Training is going really well. I didn't do much swimming while in Chelan, other than messing around in my dad's old triathlon wetsuit. I did get a couple good runs and bike rides in, and it was so cool being on the actual "course" that the triathlon will be on. I could just envision it.

Biniam is headed off to church camp tomorrow. He also started his summer tutoring today. He also has high school soccer practice starting up any day now.

Brian and I are heading on a "couples" getaway this weekend and I can't wait! The last time we got away without kids was when we just had Emma. Things have changed a bit since then!

We got curbing installed in our yard today. Call me a nerd, but I am so excited! No more bark blowing into the grass, or grass creeping into the beds.

Now I'm back to laundry, cleaning, working, and everything else I'm supposed to be doing. Life is good!