The Flailing Arms

I have the ability to laugh at myself frequently so I thought I'd share some photos so you can get a good laugh too. This is me completing my first triathlon on Saturday. What an experience! It was hard, but it felt great to accomplish it. For the entire week before I did it, I was so nervous that I just kept thinking, "What in the world am I doing? This is crazy!" But I did it, and I'm already talking about when I do it again. I think I'm hooked. It was what they call a sprint tri, so the distances were all managable. It was a 300 yd swim, 15 mile bike and 3 mile run.

I decided I would train for one in January when a friend talked me into joining a triathon club at the YMCA. The only hold back for me was that I had to learn to swim. I used to be able to swim a little, but the first time I got into the pool and swallowed a gallon of water and got another gallon up my nose, I wasn't so sure I wanted to do this. It was definitely intimidating, but I learned to swim and now I actually enjoy it. So I already knew I looked funny when I ran, but it isn't until I actually saw the photos I realized the extent of my flailing.

Take a look at my face in this one. I look like I'm going to either cry or throw up. I don't think I could decide which would be more helpful. So I have to add one more cute picture, and it's cute because of the people with me. It was so motivating to see my family waiting for me! Clint and the girls (Josh had a swim meet) came with me and they were so fun! I got to see them after the swim, a few times on the bike and at the very end. When I saw them up ahead, it was like another burst of energy hit, and I knew I could make it to them. I'm not going to share the pictures on the bike because I'm getting passed in most of them. Kayla made me feel a lot better about that after the race with something she said. Clint was driving the girls to find me on the bike ride and they kept going and going past where they thought I'd be when they spotted me. That was before the wind hit me head on, and I quit moving. So Kayla said, "Mom, when you were riding your bike at first you totally smoked us, but then we smoked you!" I asked her later if she had fun, and she said with a scowl on her face, "No, you were the one that got to do all the fun stuff- go swimming and ride your bike and race. We just had to wait." I love it!

Pics for Grandpa & Grandma

Hamburger Helper and Green Bean Extravaganza

Mother's Day was a great day for me and I never took the time to write about it. I woke up early to finish getting sharing time ready, and the morning went surprisingly well. My children told me happy Mother's Day and told me they were going to be so good to me all day. They are at such a fun age. We made it out the door to church with shoes on everyone and no one screaming- a definitely successful Sunday morning. Church was nice and they gave us chocolate this year instead of a plant that I always kill. So I ate my chocolate on the way home while wearing the crown Josh made for me. We had a great lunch of PB&J and then the kids pulled out the gifts that they had been hiding from me all week.

Kayla made a flower pot with fake flowers in it at school. She had told me not to look in her closet behind the toy basket because that is where the surprise was that had flowers in it, but she wasn't telling me anything else! Josh had also painted a flower pot and school and they had planted a real flower in it, so when he brought it home on Thursday he told me not to open the bag, but I needed to water the flower. :) Josh and Kayla also made me some wonderful cards. Lindsay gave me a dustbuster to clean up after her and her big messes! I loved that. And then Clint informed the kids that I was going to have a nap. It was all I wanted for Mother's Day. I was so beat that I was giddy to have a nap. I grinned the whole way to my pillow and slept for over 2 hours.

After the nap, I played games with Josh and Kayla and talked to my wonderful Mom on the phone while Clint made us a delicious meal. We feasted on hamburger helper, garlic toast and green beans. Very impressive- 3 things! While we were eating I thanked Clint for making dinner and Kayla said, "This is so good Dad, thanks for making it for me." So Clint made dinner and everyone not only ate it, but liked it. If only I could make them happy so easily!

After dinner we went for a walk together and played "mother may I" in the driveway. I love my family! We are all a little crazy, but I love it that way.

One more hillarious tidbit about Mother's Day. Josh had a homework assignment earlier in the week to make me a card or poem for Mother's Day. I told him the assignment and he got a cute little grin on his face. He said, "I've got it!" and ran into the other room to do it in secret. I forgot about what he was doing and a while later he handed me a paper while trying to suppress his giggles. It said, "I Love you so I kese your Tose Your my Rose. Mom." I laughed along with him. He thought he was so clever and so do I. Although I'm glad he doesn't really kiss my toes!

p.s. Notice my purple polish in the picture, courtesy of my kiddos.

Saturday is a special day

Saturday is a special day, it's the day I survive until Sunday. I have never been more grateful in my life for the commandment of keeping the Sabbath Day holy as I am now. Sundays renew me. Lately our Saturdays have been CRAZY! Last Saturday our schedule was this:

6 a.m. wake up and get Josh and I ready for a swim meet
7 a.m. leave for the swim meet
8 a.m. Clint leaves to go coach Josh's tball game that Josh isn't even attending. He is nice and takes Kayla and drops Lindsay off with me at the swim meet.
9 a.m. Josh swims the length of the pool with some help from the rope and makes the swim team.
10:30 a.m. Josh is supposed to swim the back stroke but they pull him out at the last minute. (thank goodness because he had never even tried it before).
11 a.m. We all arrive home from swim and tball.
11:15 a.m. I go grab the last minute things for the primary activity and tball BBQ party later that day.
12:15 p.m. Arrive home and pack the car for the primary activity and help Clint wash the sand off our very dirty children.
1 p.m. Leave late for my neighbor's baby shower.
2:15 p.m. Leave early from my neighbor's baby shower.
2:30 p.m. Arrive at the church to set up for primary activity. My kiddos arrive a little later with the primary president who was nice enough to pick them up.
3 p.m. Activity starts and it actually turns out great! It was a Mother's Day activity and the kids got to pamper their moms. They painted our fingernails, put their handprint on a hotpad, decorated cookies for us and got pics taken together. It was the easiest activity ever because the moms were there, and we didn't spend the whole time taking care of the kids because their moms did that part!
4 p.m. Clean up from the activity and hurry home.
4:30 p.m. Get home and pack the remaining items for the end of the season tball party we were in charge of. Clint had already gone to the park with Lindsay to reserve our spot.
5 p.m. Arrive at the park. Clint helped cook burgers and we all ate, handed out trophies and thankyous, and played a parents vs. the boys tball game.
7:30 p.m. Arrive home, bathe the kids for the second time that day while Clint mows the lawn, put stuff away, get kids in bed, and fall asleep while trying to finish sharing time for Sunday.

Okay, so not all of our Saturdays are this crazy, but they always seem to be so busy. Sunday is such a great day to just spend time together as a family, have a nap hopefully, go to church together and remember what is really important. Even though some Sundays are full of a lot of meetings, I'm so thankful that we have a commandment that helps us slow down and have a day to worship and renew.

the critter in my pantry

Tonight I got to go on a date with my husband! It was overdue, but always a pleasure when we can actually make it happen. We went to dinner and then grabbed a few groceries on the way home. Nothing glamorous, but completely enjoyable to spend time together. And to top of the evening, when we got home the babysitter had cleaned up and the kids were in bed asleep. So I was in a great mood as we sat in the kitchen opening mail and chatting. All of a sudden I heard a strange sound in the pantry. I looked at Clint and said, "What in the world was that?" I thought it sounded a little like a sneeze, but then I thought it must be something falling on a plastic bag or something. Clint thought it was a strange sound too, but we kept talking. Then we heard another suspicious sound and I said, "There's something alive in there." I had really convinced myself that there was a critter in my house, and I was about to step up on a chair and prepare myself for any hysterics that might overtake me when Clint went into the pantry. And then I hear, "Look what I found." It was Josh! He had been hiding behind the door, and it was a sneeze that we had heard. I was glad the little critter was my little boy and not a furry rodent. We had a good laugh because that was really tricky to pull off, especially for a kid that usually can't help giggling. So then he said he just needed me to tuck him in and listen to his prayers. I'm glad I'm needed, but sometimes it takes a little time out for me to appreciate being needed and for me to be ready to face my cute little critters.

I'm losing my mind, but at least I have these 3 to show for it.

So these are my cute kiddos. I have just spent way longer than I should have looking at pictures, but it is just so much fun. I love pictures! Now if I could just get them all in a scrapbook. . . I'll get there someday right?

Today it was confirmed that yes indeed my mind is going, and at such a young age. All day long I kept thinking there was something I should be doing that I was forgetting. It wasn't until 6:30 this evening when I was outside watching my kids splash in the rain puddles and my friend Angela drove by and waved that I finally remembered. I walk with Angela every Tues. and Thurs. morning at 5 a.m. I know, it's really early, but it is a great time to chat and exercise. Anyway, it finally dawned on me at 6:30 p.m. that I forgot to wake up 13 and 1/2 hours earlier (my math may be wrong, like I said, I'm losing it.) I ran inside and called Angela and apologized and luckily she forgave me because I plead insanity.

I used to think I was on top of things, but lately it feels like I'm becoming a flake. So sorry if you happen to be the recipient of my flakiness, but I'm grateful I atleast have these 3 adorable children to show for it.

Wam, Bam, Alacazam

Do you know that song? I think it's called "Orange Colored Sky" and I was reminded of it on Sat. night when we were on our way home from some fine dining at the Wendy's. Kayla said, "Mom, the sky looks like rainbow icecream." I thought it was an expert description. She recently discovered the yumminess of rainbow sherbet, and the sunset did look a lot like pink, orange and yellow all mixed together against a big blue bowl. I love the catching glimpses of the world through the eyes of my children. They remind me of the wonder and joy found in God's creations. And if we ever forget, Kayla is quick to remind us that she is "bwilliant."