Happy Easter Pics

Easter around here was a pretty low-key (read into it: lame) event because we had just gotten back into town the night before and two of my kids were sick. For some reason, also, I have a harder time balancing the true meaning of Easter with all the crazy anecdotes that have become so popular with it. I don't have this problem at Christmas time, maybe because there are so many other things that are fun to do but still keep in the forefront of your mind what the true meaning of the celebration is. But at Easter I just feel guilty doing too much "commercially" for some reason. Probably because there really isn't much fun stuff to do that is related to the true meaning of why we celebrate Easter. Seriously, who came up with the idea of a giant bunny that fills your Easter basket? Anyway, here are a few pics of the boys with their Easter baskets and what has become our traditional Easter pancake breakfast:

Spring Break Pics

A day at the park:

Visiting my grandma:

Some of my cute nieces:
A cookout at Tori's:
Playing around:
The boys with their buddy and cousin Alec:

I Am Still Alive

I am happy to report that I did indeed run and finish the 1/2 marathon yesterday. That's 13.1 miles for anyone who is wondering. I am pleasantly surprised that I am not hobbling along today, and actually have no major aches or pains to report - and that includes my shins. What a blessing!

The 1/2 marathon started at 7:30, so I was up at 5:30 (after a night of not really sleeping, I might add. I guess I was worried I would oversleep so I slept lightly and kept waking up). I was off to meet Sarah and Jim at their house by 6:00. We were in line (in the dark, in the cold) for the shuttle bus by 6:30 and at the start line by 7:00... Here is a wrap-up from my perspective:

BOOS:

1. The weather. Thankfully, it was not raining. Thankfully, it was not in the twenties or the teens. But it was freaking cold. And WINDY. Holy cow. I swear a few times I thought I was standing in place even though I was running.

2. Running while needing to pee. The "ample" toilet facilities at the beginning of the race turned out to be two port-a-potties for about oh, 600 people. So after standing in line for 30 minutes and still not getting to go, the race was starting so I just had to run. Yes, there were a few stops a long the way, but I didn't want to stop and not be able to stand back up. So I just kept running.

3. The course. I know races like these often do start out in the middle of nowhere. But when you live in the midwest, the middle of nowhere really is the middle of nowhere. For someone who really needs those visual stimuli to take your mind off of what you are doing, there was nada. The most exciting thing was a dead deer on the side of the road and a small herd of cows. Oh, and there was a guy plowing or tilling or doing something of the sort to his field, too. Once it got into "civilization" things were a little better.

4. None existant race stats. So apparently I didn't run this race according to the posted race results. I am no where to be found. I guess my computer chip thingy didn't activate or something. Luckily, I had my Ipod to record my time which was 2 hours 17 minutes and 10 seconds. Not a world record, and a little slower pace than my training runs had been, but I was happy enough with it, especially considering my original goal when setting out to do this was to just finish it. According to the stats that were posted, my time would have fallen a little past midway through all the categories (180/325 females, 37/60 in 30 -34 females *note I am on the old end of that spectrum, and 416/644 overall).

YAYS:

1. I finished it!!!

2. It's over!!!

3. I'm not very sore.

4. The course was mostly flat, only some "gentle rolling hills" as listed in the course description.

5. My kids think I'm cool. Just a cute side note - today in Primary (kids' Sunday School at church) the lady conducting was saying that "someone had something special" happen this weekend and was going on about how this special event took place and wondered if anyone knew who she was talking about. She was referring to a girl who got baptized, but Big J raised his hand and said, "My mom!" So sweet. He told me that it was "awesome" I ran 13 miles and that next time he wanted to do it with me. :-) Thinking of my boys cheering for me at the end helped me finish. In fact, my last 3 miles were as fast as my first 3.

Here are a few post-race shots. It'd been a rough morning. For more pictures of during the race go to my friend Sarah's blog here. Unfortunately, I don't have any "finishing the race pics". We'll just leave it at that. It's ok, Babe...

Right after the race. Look how red and salty my face is!

The fam freezing their butts off to support me.

My running buddies. Well, really just Sarah. Jim jumped in to steal our glory by running the 1/2 marathon without training for it. I hope he's really sore today.... j/k Jim! They are some tough cookies!

My favorite pic of all. LOL! I look like I should be on the short bus.
That's about how I felt after it.

Aaah, victory!

This is how I feel about last night's AI elimination:

Let It Be Written, Let It Be So

Let it be known that I have now officially declared

my (before un-official) favorite:

Morning Acid Trip

I admit that I am not up on all the kiddie shows out there today. But I have to wonder what is going on with children's TV? There is some weird stuff out there! While we were in TX, there was a show on that my niece Liv was watching that I thought was supremely freaky. It had painted people that danced around and sang. Kind of like The Wiggles on crack. I think it was called The Doodle Bops or something like that. Then today, I saw something that even topped the freaky factor of that.

My kids don't watch that much TV, especially not to the point that we know what days and times certain shows come on. If they do watch something they usually just watch whatever show is on and appealing to them at the time. This morning Little J wanted to watch something while I was getting ready, so we turned on the TV and this show with a guy in a bright orange jumpsuit and a bright orange wig is on. Then there were these creature things whose mouths didn't move talking about learning a "dancey dance" and the guy in the orange wig was talking to them. I had NO IDEA what this acid trip of a show was. Apparently, it is called Yo Gabba, Gabba! which that in and of itself lends to the high on acid theory. No offense to anyone out there if this is your kids' favorite show or something, but seriously, what the hell is this??

Happy Trails

We have been in Texas all week visiting my family. While we've been here I've run 3 times (I am leaving a rest day in between each run in order to save my shins - so much for my carefully planned training schedule). I ran two 6 milers and today I ran my longest run to date - a little over 11 miles. 11.38 to be exact and I averaged a 9.3 mile pace. Not going to set any world records, but I was happy with it. Can I just say I love FLAT terrain and sunshine and pleasantly warm weather? I can honestly say that I enjoyed the run and the fact that the only "hill" was coming up to my parents' house. It makes such a huge difference in how you feel when you don't have to run up a dang hill every other mile! I only had to stop once the entire run for about 30 seconds to stretch out my calves a little.

That will have to be my last long run before the half marathon next weekend. At least now I know that I can get close enough to the finish line to walk the remaining distance if all else fails. ;-) And I want to do another shout out to my husband and his thoughtful gift. I LOVE my IPod. It makes a huge difference. Probably my favorite feature out of all its fanciness is that I can push the button at anytime and have my "Power Song" play. Currently, it is Lenny Kravitz's American Woman. It totally pumps me up!

We are heading back tomorrow. Driving down we were in torrential rain pour all the way from our house until about 30 miles outside the Oklahoma border. It was stressful and because everyone was going slower, it made our trip take closer to 9 hours. Hopefully, tomorrow it will be smooth sailing. Pictures to come...

Just Call Him Grasshopper

As one of Big J's Christmas presents, he started Tae Kwon Do lessons in January. He had been asking to take "karate" for about 2 years, so we finally relented. He enjoys it and is doing really well. Today he tested for his white belt. At his academy, you have to earn your white belt just like any other belt. He had to know and demonstrate the "I" formation, basically a series of 20 consecutive moves, and was also tested on various kicks, blocks, and punches. He did great and was really excited to earn his first belt. He told me he's going to keep going until he gets a black belt. Congratulations, Big J!

My New Present *see edit below

Yesterday before I *tried* to run, my husband came in and said, "I got something for you" and proceeded to hand me a tiny box with this inside:

In case you don't know what it is, it is an IPod Nano in red. It's the tiniest little thing! He got it engraved on the back for me with my name and "Hot Tamale" underneath it, which I thought was cute. He also gave me the arm band to hold it in while I run, as well as the little thing you put in your shoe that keeps track of the distance you've run, the pace, calories, etc. Can you tell I am so techno-savvy that I don't even know the real name for it?*

Anyway, I was very surprised and am excited to try it out! JC has like 5000 mp3s on his computer so he put about 1200 of them on my IPod for me. I've never run with music before, so who knows - maybe now I'll just be a flash going by. Get me some Eye of the Tiger and I'll be good to go!

*I have since learned that the sensor I put in my shoe that links up with the IPod is called Nike+. I ran with it today and it is very cool. I can set my workout by desired time, distance, or calories wished to be burned and it will update me periodically on where I'm at. It will also keep track of all my workouts. If I go online I can upload them and it keeps track of everything.

Beside The Water Cooler

Isn't it said that office co-workers hang around the water cooler to talk about random topics, gossip and so forth? Today this is my water cooler of sorts. If you don't want in on the conversation, you are welcome to go back to your desk (or leave your desk, as the case may be).

Topic of discussion #1: American Idol

I think this is a great season and I really don't have a favorite yet and will be very interested to see who ends up in the top spots. That being said, I still don't think there is somebody I honestly would want to listen to an entire CD of. I thought most of the performances last night were really good, however. Here is my take on them:

1. Amanda - I have not been a fan of Amanda, mainly because I think she looks and sounds constipated most of the time, but last night I actually enjoyed her performance. I was glad to see some more confidence back in her, because last week she looked like a whipped puppy. Still not a favorite, but I think she will be around longer than originally thought. She needs to lay off the cigs in the meantime.

2. Brooke - Aaah, Brooke. I think she has a nice voice and is talented, but she definitely is never going to be the "performer" in the sense of getting you jumping out of your seat, so I guess it just comes down to what you like. She's very Sheryl Crow-ish to me but without the funky.

3. Carly - Definitely one of the best voices and one of the most professional vocalists, albeit for her outfits. I was happy last night she finally looked like she had a little class instead of like she was wearing the same tank top she had slept in the night before. When she talks I want to tell her to clear her throat, though.

4. Chikezie - I'm likin' him. Although he was a little epileptic-looking at some points in his performance last night, I thought it was very cool. With a name like Chikezie Eze you can't go wrong!

5. David A. - He definitely has talent, but I just can't be lovin' him the way everyone else seems to be. He looks like he's 12 and when he sings, and especially when he talks, I want to tell him to blow his nose.

6. David C. - I like him. I think he has talent that still hasn't been showcased, but I enjoy his performances. His scruff bugs me, though. And the fact that he always looks like he's looking down his nose. But I like what he does with the songs. And he's from Blue Springs, which is a stone's throw away, so I have to be rooting for him.

7. David H. - I have liked him since the auditions, although arguably last night's performance was pretty cheesy. But I think he has one of the best stage presences and I like his voice. Picturing him giving some dude a lap dance, does, however, put a damper on things.

8. Jason - a.k.a. John Travolta's twin only with dreads. I'm sorry, but I think he is a snorefest and makes weird faces. Talented, yes, but y-a-w-n. He is another one who will never be rockin' the house.

9. Kristy Lee - I think she's going to go this week. She's pretty and she does have a nice voice, and I even like country music, but she is definitely the weakest link. Is it just me, or does the way she does her legs on stage always look like she is riding a horse?

10. Michael - He has one of the most enjoyable and consistant voices to listen to, in my opinion. I think if he unleashed his inner rock star he could be really, really good. I will say that last night I didn't miss his little hopping thing he usually does.

11. Ramiele - I think she has one of the best voices, but is not much of a showman. Her voice is strong and clear and really beautiful, but she needs to step up the performance side of things if she wants to stay in.

12. Syesha - I have liked her since the auditions, but I think she will be going soon. She is gorgeous and has a really great voice, but she so far has just kind of been there. She needs to make her mark quick or she will be gone.

Topic #2: Eliot Spitzer

- What is it with rich, powerful people always doing nasty stuff? Are they trying to buy themselves a life? If I was his wife, I so would not be standing up there next to him as a source of support. I'd go tell him to go find one of his nasty hos to do it.

Topic #3: Shin splints

- I have never really dealt with shin splints before, but since I started running I have on occasion been a little sore, and then since Saturday's run, I have had some killer splints. My left leg in particular wants to make me crippled. I iced it for about 45 minutes last night and that helped a lot, but I am concerned that I have done something major and it's not going to have time to heal enough to do the training I need to do before the 29th. I bought some new shoes, so maybe they will help and I won't have anymore problems.

Topic #4: Politics

- I can't believe how arrogant Hillary Clinton is. She is getting her butt kicked in almost every Primary and then she has the gall to suggest that her and Obama run a joint ticket - with him as the VP. Uh, what? This pretty much sums up my feelings about this year's election:

Electile Dysfunction : the inability to become aroused over any of the choices for president put forth by either party in the 2008 election year

Topic #5: I No Longer Have a 4-Year-Old

- My Little J is a true 5-year-old now. Happy Birthday, buddy! Hopefully the effin fours will be truly over now.

That's all for now - go back to work!

Little J's 5th Birthday

A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY

A BOY OF DESTINY WAS BORN.

THIS JEDI MASTER RECENTLY CELEBRATED

HIS 5th BIRTHDAY...

THIS WAS HIS DESTINY.

Little J wanted to have a Star Wars themed birthday party this year, so that is what he had. What is funny is that he has only seen the last 3 episodes (the original) of Star Wars and has acquired most of his Star Wars knowledge from playing Lego Star Wars on the Xbox.

As his friends arrived, they all got to pick their "space craft" (spray-painted boxes with the end flaps cut off) and then design and decorate it at will. The day before the party I spent an hour spray painting our recycling collection of boxes and plastic containers gold for them to use as their accessories. They also had access to crayons, paper, straws, pipe cleaners, stickers - you name it! I was really impressed with how creative these kids were in designing their space ships. There were many added features like booster rockets and, of course, guns. They also had the opportunity to design their own droid. Several of them made little R2-D2s out of spray painted juice jugs.

Hard at work designing their space ships.

The Rebel fleet.

Little J was so funny opening his gifts. He'd rip them open to see what it was and before we could oooh and aaaah over them, he was on to the next. We gave him a Storm Trooper costume, a Lego Star Wars T-shirt and the soundtrack from Episode IV, which served as background music for the party.

Cupcakes with wavy sparkler candles were up next.

Then the final games. At Little J's request, we did a sort of "Easter egg" hunt for hidden Star Wars guys. Then we had our Jedi training:

Don't let the balloon touch the ground!

(Notice in this pic Little J is over the game and has moved on to check out his gift stash).

I can't believe Little J is already 5! Well, technically he isn't 5 until Wednesday, so I have a few more days, but close enough. I remember so clearly when he was born. With Big J, I had pushed for an hour and a half and had expected the same with Little J. But bless his little heart, he popped out after about 10 minutes and I was so grateful! As a baby, I would get so many comments on how beautiful he was. Strangers in the grocery store would come up to me and say things like, "I'm sorry, I just had to tell you that he is such a beautiful baby!" He was also my first introduction to what a good baby is.

Little J has always been my affection-loving one, wanting me to rub his back and cuddle with him. He can still be calmed by me holding him on my lap and rubbing his back. He definitely is my little firecracker, though! Little J has the most colorful personality I know. The way his mind works is a continual fascination and source of entertainment for me. I love the fire in him. I love the strength that his spirit has. Little J is a smart, kind-hearted boy and he is going to grow up to do great things.

Five years old! (Or in Little J's opinion, apparently he is 10).

I LOVE YOU, LITTLE J!!

Check it out!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

The Test

The 1/2 marathon is in 3 weeks. 7 weeks ago is when I decided to do it. At that time, I had not exercised regularly since September, and even that was mostly just walking about 3.5 miles a few times a week, so nothing major. The very first time I ran to see where I was at (and this is embarassing to admit) I ran a mile and walked a mile and it took me 1/2 an hour. Pathetic. In my defense, I was on the treadmill which I hate and I always go slower on. But that was still pathetic.

So my plan was to use the first 4 weeks to get into shape and then do a crash-course 6 week training for the 1/2 marathon. So I started running, and ran almost every day. Even if it was 9:00 at night by the time I had a chance to do it (which was more often than not the case), I would make myself do it. If we had any kind of decent weather, I would try to run outside. So that's been like, oh, 5 times maybe. (*Side note - I am SO OVER this winter. It's been the longest, coldest, ever!!! This morning when I got up it was 8 degrees. 8 freaking degrees in March!!! Ugh.)

I was doing pretty good and got to where I could run about 3.5 - 4 miles without stopping, and if I was outside, I could do it in a decent time frame. My month of getting-into-shape came to an end, so I decided on a training course. I officially signed up for the 1/2 marathon and paid my fee. The very next morning, I woke up with the flu and a secondary respiratory infection on top of that. I rarely get sick, but this hit hard and it took me a good almost 2 weeks before I felt "normal" again. I didn't run for 12 days, losing already-pushing-it-as-it-was precious time.

Since that time, I have been trying to follow a now modified training course. But I admit that I have been having major doubts that I will be able to do this. But I know a good portion of doing something like this is mental, and mentally I am strong. Of course I could do it and finish it eventually (anyone truly could), but I don't want to be the one trekking in after 4 hours and they are packing up. So today I decided would be my TEST DAY.

I had planned to run an 8 mile run, which I should have already run that distance several weeks ago, but that obviously hadn't happened. Basically, I was going to see if I would totally suck or if I would be able to do it. Thankfully, Sarah called me last night and asked if I wanted to run together. She was planning on doing 12 miles, but I said I would go 8 with her. It was suppose to reach 40, so we thought that wouldn't be too bad.

Well, when we took off it was 27 with a windchill of 18. But after a few good hills, I was sweating like a pig and plenty warm. It's so much better to run with someone and it's so much better to run outside even if it is freezing! And so I don't drag the point of this post out any longer, I am happy to report that I did not pass out, have to have Sarah carry me, or hitch a ride to finish the distance. I don't know how I'll be feeling tomorrow, but I am encouraged that I was able to do it at all, and in a pretty decent time. So only 5.1 miles further than that, and I'll be able to finish the race. Piece of cake! ;-)

Coming soon...highlights from Little J's 5th birthday party held this morning!

Big J's Theatrical Debut

You WISH You Had Front Row Seats

My boys are rockers, which they definitely get from their dad and not me, although I do appreciate good music. As mentioned before in previous posts, they like to dance to their music often and, shall we say, energetically. Although I don't have video from this, their latest performance, here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. Let your imagination fill in the rest. Oh, and tickets for their next performance will be on sale soon, so check back regularly.

Little J rockin' the mic.

Big J catching some air.

Gotta love the faces - they are sooo hardcore.

Sweet moves!

Watch out Van Halen. You are rivaled in both moves and outfits...

Little Man adding his own brand of entertainment!

And for the encore.....

More cuteness!

This Is Dedicated to My Dad

Who would plagiarize this song to try to woo my mom.

David Cook on American Idol tonight: LOVED IT!

I hear the secrets that you keep, when you're talking in your sleep...

My family has been known to talk and/or walk in their sleep.

My dad was notorious for "protecting" my mom from falling boxes and such while they were sleeping. I have a few funny memories of his sleepwalking. I remember him being in the hall once at night and saying "Walk this way, please" in a very authoritative voice. I'm still not sure who he was talking to. And one time when my mom had just had my little sister Nicole, I remember my dad had been taking a nap and came in and asked me where my mom was. I told him she was at the hospital with baby Nicole. He looked irritated, like I was making up some crazy story, and asked me again where Mom was. I told him "at the hospital." Exasperated, he walked off. A few minutes later, he had woken up fully and called me into his room. I guess he wanted to make sure I was totally freaked out. I admit that I didn't really want to go in there at first, but then realized he had just been sleepwalking.

My brother had it bad, too. When he was little was when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers were first making their appearance. (Can you believe those things have been around for almost 20 years?!?) He was always fighting bad guys in his sleep. One very vivid memory I have of Walker sleepwalking was when I was about 16 and he was about 4. He had walked from down the hall where his room was into the living room and was yelling at the top of his lungs. He was screaming and kept yelling, "MAMA!!!!" My room was more toward the front of the house and so I heard him immediately. I seriously remember the thought going through my head that someone must be kidnapping him. I don't know exactly what I thought I was going to do, but I jumped out of bed and ran in there ready to kick some butt. Instead, I find little Walker standing in the middle of the dark living room looking around like he is lost, crying, and screaming. I just ran up to him and kind of shook him, yelling, "Walker! Walker!" to get him to snap out of it. By this time, my sister Tori was awake and standing at the entrance to the living room screaming, too! Then my parents were there also making some ruckus wondering what the heck was going on. It was really pretty funny, after the fact.

I will admit that I have had my moments of sleepwalking and talking. I don't do it much anymore, but every once in a while JC will tell me that I talked in my sleep. I recently woke myself up talking in my sleep because I was having a dream that I saw someone I didn't know walking up our staircase. In my dream I tried to yell, "HEY!" at them but nothing would come out. I finally got it to come out and that's when I woke up - because I had yelled it for real.

I don't think the boys have sleptwalk yet, although I have had to redirect middle-of-the-night potty breaks to the correct place. But they both talk in their sleep all the time. Little J can often be heard telling Big J off about something. Big J usually just mumbles incoherent things, with an occasional understandable phrase. Last night was funny, though, because they were having a sleep-talking conversation. I had gone in to check on them and cover them up, like I usually do before I go to bed, and Big J mumbled some long-winded thing to which Little J (who was still asleep) responded, "What?"

I think Little Man may be a sleepwalker, though. The other night he was totally "sleepwalking" if you want to call it that. He had woken up around 11:00 and was totally disoriented. He kept insisting that he had dropped his paci over the side of the crib. When I would hand him it, he would shake his head "no" and get all mad and insist that his paci was on the floor. So finally I let him out of his crib to "show me." He went over into the corner and was crying and looking around on the floor. Then he found this little toy that happened to be laying there, but was acting like he had found his paci. He was SO happy and even tried to put it in his mouth! I acted happy for him and gave him his real paci and laid him back down and he went back to sleep like normal. Crazy kid!

So, basically, if you want to have some conversation-punctuated sleep, come hang out at my house. I'm sure Little J will throw in a few choice words like "dummy" and "stupid head." If you want some good nighttime drama, go hang out at my parents'! ;-)