It's amazing the things younger siblings do to keep up with the older ones!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Jacob Can Tie His Shoes (4 1/2 years old)!
It's amazing the things younger siblings do to keep up with the older ones!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
My Confident Child
I dropped James off at school this morning at about 10 minutes before his first bell rang. The children cluttered the playground. Typically, James and I go through a normal morning routing of "Goodbye Mom" "Goodbye James." "I love you." "I love you too." In that order. It cannot be said in any other way, shape, form, or tone of voice. BUT today as James exited the vehicle he was too distracted to go through our morning ritual. Four or Five boys lined the fence calling his name and James could not get to the gate fast enough as they met him there to greet him.
He is the child I worry most about. He has a strange sense of style about him. Earlier this year he insisted on wearing shorts EVERY day. And not just any shorts, they had to be gym type shorts. He has three pairs he cycled through repeatedly. God forbid I did not do the laundry twice a week. With those gym shorts James would tuck whatever shirt he happened to wear with them into them so that the shorts then sat nicely on his hips with nothing in the way. Finally I was able to find a few pairs of pants he would wear. The other day while waiting in line to pick him up from school, two teenage boys passed by my car with skinny jeans on rolled up above their ankles. I giggled to myself, took a picture with my phone and sent it on to a few friends asking if this was the latest style. Then as I approached the front of the line James came running towards me - with his Jeans rolled up above his ankles like a movie from the 1950's... I was sure that a poodle skirt must be around somewhere.
I asked him why he was doing that and he said he got hot in PE. I question him with my intense fear and worry that he will be made fun of by his peers but as for now, he is confident in his own skin and clothes and does not care what anyone else thinks about him. AND he has many friends just the way he is.
He is the child I worry most about. He has a strange sense of style about him. Earlier this year he insisted on wearing shorts EVERY day. And not just any shorts, they had to be gym type shorts. He has three pairs he cycled through repeatedly. God forbid I did not do the laundry twice a week. With those gym shorts James would tuck whatever shirt he happened to wear with them into them so that the shorts then sat nicely on his hips with nothing in the way. Finally I was able to find a few pairs of pants he would wear. The other day while waiting in line to pick him up from school, two teenage boys passed by my car with skinny jeans on rolled up above their ankles. I giggled to myself, took a picture with my phone and sent it on to a few friends asking if this was the latest style. Then as I approached the front of the line James came running towards me - with his Jeans rolled up above his ankles like a movie from the 1950's... I was sure that a poodle skirt must be around somewhere.
I asked him why he was doing that and he said he got hot in PE. I question him with my intense fear and worry that he will be made fun of by his peers but as for now, he is confident in his own skin and clothes and does not care what anyone else thinks about him. AND he has many friends just the way he is.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Race Weekend
We had an amazing weekend. Friday, I spent the day at the Phoenix PF Changs Rock N Roll Expo with two of my close friends, Kristen and Suzanne, who also ran on Sunday. We collected lots of free goodies and treats and other giveaways. We also road the light rail to the expo to save on parking. Little did we know parking was $50!!!! So I think we made the right decision.
Saturday was the KIDS ROCK marathon. Collectively the kids ran a total of 25.2 miles before Saturday and then they ran their final mile and crossed the finish line on Saturday to complete a full marathon. James' training started with tears, I can'ts, hates and regrets, and as training continued those negative feelings dimensioned one by one... finally three days before race day he was SOOOO excited and could not wait to run it!
Pre-race photos:
Cheering on James from the sidelines:
James' final stretch to the finish line:
As he ran by, he looked at me and smiled! Tears started pouring down my face, it was a very emotional experience for me to see his pride and sense of accomplishment!
I am so proud of him!!
Sunday, was the PF Changs Marathon and Half-Marathon. For the last 8 weeks Kristen and I trained together 5 days a week, missing only one or two days, but other than that we ALWAYS made time to train. We decided that on Race Day, we were going to stay together and encourage each other until the end to run the whole thing.
Our families, husbands, children, and Kristen's mom and step dad (who made a surprise visit) cheered us on in three different places along the course. It was amazing to see them on the sidelines and always lifted our spirits each time giving us another push.
Kristen is blowing kisses to our kids on the side!
I wore my "Team Diana" shirt around my neck during the race. Before she passed she really wanted to run the Seattle Marathon. A large group got together a month and half after her death to run it for her, but since I could not be there, I decided to run this race in her honor. It was a great privilege, and during the toughest times, I thought about her and with the shirt around me, I felt as if she was giving me a hug and carrying me to the finish line.
The kids waited so patiently for us to pass them.
They all lined up and gave the racers high-fives. James told me he counted 300. Along the course Kristen and I slapped each and every child's hand that we saw. Even veering off course of those out of reach, including one in their own back yard reaching through a fence.
The kids met us here, between mile 8 and 9. It was soooo great to see them!!! I cheered along with the kids as I ran by and Kristen said I love you to each and every one of them. It was so incredible to have them there cheering us on.
Running mile 10-13 was so hard. It was painful as our legs tightened and feet hurt, but we kept going. We slowed a few time, but never walked. That was our goal, to run the whole thing and we did it!! We even made my goal time which was 2 hours and 20 minutes. Kristen never imagined she could run so fast, but she was running so fast it was hard for me to keep up! We each how our weak and strong moments and I believe it helped us both get through to the end. We crossed the line holding hands, and then felt like we could not take another step. Walking to the family reunion area was tough! But after a few minutes of sitting we were feeling much better. Its a good thing too because our husbands decided to park at a nearby restaurant a mile away - LOL! It worked out perfectly though because parking any closer would have been a nightmare.
Suzanne met up with us at the end also, she is the one who got me to run my first 1/2 marathon in Denver - it is her inspiration (and another MOMS Club friend, Jen who also ran in Denver) that got me to train for this, allowing me to run further than I have ever run before and lost 22.4 pounds in the process (from October 18th to January 17th).
I have such a supportive family. James told me he was proud of me, Josh gave up watching the Seahawks playoff game and drove three kids getting them in and out of the car multiple time to cheer me on in different places. Seeing their faces at the end made all of the training and hard work worth it. Love you Josh, James, Jacob, and Jaelyn. Thank you for a great day!
Saturday was the KIDS ROCK marathon. Collectively the kids ran a total of 25.2 miles before Saturday and then they ran their final mile and crossed the finish line on Saturday to complete a full marathon. James' training started with tears, I can'ts, hates and regrets, and as training continued those negative feelings dimensioned one by one... finally three days before race day he was SOOOO excited and could not wait to run it!
Pre-race photos:
Cheering on James from the sidelines:
James' final stretch to the finish line:
As he ran by, he looked at me and smiled! Tears started pouring down my face, it was a very emotional experience for me to see his pride and sense of accomplishment! 
I am so proud of him!!
Sunday, was the PF Changs Marathon and Half-Marathon. For the last 8 weeks Kristen and I trained together 5 days a week, missing only one or two days, but other than that we ALWAYS made time to train. We decided that on Race Day, we were going to stay together and encourage each other until the end to run the whole thing. Our families, husbands, children, and Kristen's mom and step dad (who made a surprise visit) cheered us on in three different places along the course. It was amazing to see them on the sidelines and always lifted our spirits each time giving us another push.
Kristen is blowing kisses to our kids on the side!
I wore my "Team Diana" shirt around my neck during the race. Before she passed she really wanted to run the Seattle Marathon. A large group got together a month and half after her death to run it for her, but since I could not be there, I decided to run this race in her honor. It was a great privilege, and during the toughest times, I thought about her and with the shirt around me, I felt as if she was giving me a hug and carrying me to the finish line.
The kids waited so patiently for us to pass them. 
They all lined up and gave the racers high-fives. James told me he counted 300. Along the course Kristen and I slapped each and every child's hand that we saw. Even veering off course of those out of reach, including one in their own back yard reaching through a fence. 
The kids met us here, between mile 8 and 9. It was soooo great to see them!!! I cheered along with the kids as I ran by and Kristen said I love you to each and every one of them. It was so incredible to have them there cheering us on. 
Running mile 10-13 was so hard. It was painful as our legs tightened and feet hurt, but we kept going. We slowed a few time, but never walked. That was our goal, to run the whole thing and we did it!! We even made my goal time which was 2 hours and 20 minutes. Kristen never imagined she could run so fast, but she was running so fast it was hard for me to keep up! We each how our weak and strong moments and I believe it helped us both get through to the end. We crossed the line holding hands, and then felt like we could not take another step. Walking to the family reunion area was tough! But after a few minutes of sitting we were feeling much better. Its a good thing too because our husbands decided to park at a nearby restaurant a mile away - LOL! It worked out perfectly though because parking any closer would have been a nightmare.
Suzanne met up with us at the end also, she is the one who got me to run my first 1/2 marathon in Denver - it is her inspiration (and another MOMS Club friend, Jen who also ran in Denver) that got me to train for this, allowing me to run further than I have ever run before and lost 22.4 pounds in the process (from October 18th to January 17th). 
I have such a supportive family. James told me he was proud of me, Josh gave up watching the Seahawks playoff game and drove three kids getting them in and out of the car multiple time to cheer me on in different places. Seeing their faces at the end made all of the training and hard work worth it. Love you Josh, James, Jacob, and Jaelyn. Thank you for a great day!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Flagstaff, AZ
We had the most amazing two days in Flagstaff, AZ with our, amazing friends, the Thompson Family. We headed on Thursday, Dec. 30th and spent all of Friday (New Years Eve) playing in below freezing temperatures. In fact, it was about 4 degrees for most of our playtime. The highest temperature was 11 and the lowest a VERY cold -2. Jaely wanted NOTHING to do with the cold no matter how bundled up she was. She was very content in her car seat for 4 hours with the car running and whichever child was currently warming their fingers, toes, ears and face. Our first adventure was through trees and over boulders. Mike and Josh made the most of it by using snow shovels, and sleds to build their path and create jumps over the rocks. It was very successful although not quite as fast as our second stop (our usual sledding spot) that we ventured to after taking a break for some lunch. The kids did great considering the frigid temperatures that we were given.
Kids getting ready for their first adventure.
Jaely's first time in the show.
Happy to be back inside.
Kristen and I right after I pushed her over in the snow. She is too good of a friend to get me back, although she did throw a little snow in my face.
The Beautiful Thompson Family
Jacob = Superman
Kids getting ready for their first adventure.
Jaely's first time in the show.
Happy to be back inside.
Kristen and I right after I pushed her over in the snow. She is too good of a friend to get me back, although she did throw a little snow in my face.
Josh and I. We have not taken too many pictures of just the two of us since having kids. Love this one.
The Beautiful Thompson Family
Jacob = Superman
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