Heat wave

Boy it's nice out today...and yesterday was beautiful too!  Tomorrow is supposed to rain, but still not get very hot.  It's supposed to be 95 here on Sunday.  Did I mention that I have a 5 mile race on Sunday? :) 

I was supposed to get in a 4.5 run yesterday....but I didn't get on the treadmill at naptime and John golfed late so I didn't get one in last night.  I was thinking about calling the neighbor girl to come over, but there was no answer when I called.  So, I figured that I'd get up early and run this morning....but 6:10 rolled around and I could NOT yank my butt out of bed.  The next thing I know, it's 6:32 and too late to run and make it back by 7 in time for when my "Pebbles" (1 1/2 year old) drops in.  Luckily it's still nice out so I'm determined to get a run in tonight.  Then, maybe a shorter run on Friday night.....then rest up for Sunday.

But, to be honest, I know I'm not going to be able to run the whole 5 miles when it's 95 degrees out.  So I'm not as concerned with "training" for it at this point.  I'll run a bit, walk a bit, yadda, yadda, yadda.  I know I'll finish just fine - but not in 50 minutes like I wanted.

I don't know why the "time" I run is so important to me - just a trait I guess.  I feel like I have to get faster....rather than just do it.  I'm getting better at that...but timing myself is still on my mind.  I think it's just proving to myself that I can do it.  Breaking the 5k in 30 minute mark was a great feeling, and I've slacked off ever since. :)  So maybe timing myself isn't the best idea.

Also - it's not that I like running.  But I don't have a lot of free time in a day, and I can get a real sweat worked up in 25 minutes.....and it's free.  So I feel like I get a big bang for my buck, so to speak.  But I was thinking about when someone "becomes" a runner.  Is everyone a "runner"? (Just non-practicing) :)  If I run 50 feet am I a runner?  If I run 50 feet every day, am I a runner?  Do I have to be able to run a mile?  Because when I started this last summer I sure didn't feel like a runner....could only run about 1/2 mile.  Now I can run 3.1 miles or more....and I still feel like an impostor.  :)

Happy Birthday Will!!!

John William turns 4 today!!!  Can you tell what kind of a party we are having???

Luckily, John, Katie and I don't have to dress up as villians.

The passage of the Will's........

A funny story....we ate supper at Noodles and Company Wednesday night.  Will said he had to go to the bathroom, so I took him.  As we were walking to the restrooms, he starts chanting "mens, mens, mens,mens..." I told him that we were actually going to go into the women's room.  He stopped dead in his tracks and shouts "But, I'm a MAN!"

Happy Birthday to my favorite little man....

Friday Funny

Will's favorite new ride....

This is ONE of Will's new favorite toys.  It was initially going to be saved for his birthday....but he found it/saw it....end of story.  I'm kinda glad we gave it to him early because he's had SO much fun with it.  He even rode it in the local Kiddie parade for the 4th of July.  And it reminds me of my AWESOME Knight Rider big wheel.....ranks right up there with my banana seat bike.  I LOVED going as fast as I could, then whipping around and skidding to a stop.  And of course talking to "KITT".

And then the ducks came out to watch Will motor up and down the sidewalk. 

Eat his dust.....

Stay tuned...this isn't Will's only new ride.  He and Katie both got new bikes over the weekend that they are pretty darn excited about!



On vacation!

Technically, now that I am getting paid for doing what I do everyday....I can also take a "vacation" where I just take care of 2 kids instead of 3. :)  John took the rest of the week off and we are spending some family time together.  Tomorrow we're heading to one of my favorite pools to go swimming and watersliding, and I think it's actually going to be nice out!

We went camping with some friends a couple weekends ago...you know, before the Minnesota government shut down and took the state parks with them.  It was a FUN time with about 7 other families!  Totally worth the mosquito bites.

I HAD to post this one....Angie was an innocent victim of the old marshmallow on the picnic table.

 Will teaching Dad the finer art of roasting.

I "think" they were playing horseshoes....  :) 

Waking up with smiles....



Friday Funny

Let's see how many of you are over 25.....

Ugh....what have I done?

Ok - that's a bit more melodramatic than it needs to be.

I am planning on participating in an 8k in a few weeks.  That's a hair under 5 miles for you non-metric folks.  For months - well, ever since I started running I said 5k was the longest I would ever go.  And I've recently in the last 2 months been able to run the whole 5k without stopping to walk.  So now at least 2 times a week I get in 3.1 miles with no problem. (Well, ok, it's not THAT easy....but totally doable.)

Some friends of mine are running in an upcoming 8k, and I was waffling about being able to do it.  They basically said "Oh just shut up, you can do it!"  Or maybe that was their exact words.....

Cue the rational side of my brain:  I can do 3.1 miles in around 29 minutes.....basically average 10 minute miles.  (My first mile is faster....and then I drop off.)  So add another 2 miles on to that, it's another 20 minutes of running.  If I work up to 4.5 miles before the race and just add chunks of 5 minutes to my current pace, I shouldn't have a problem getting there in 3 weeks.  I'm not planning on running 5 miles for practice....I think getting up to 4.5 miles should be fine.  So now my goal will be to do the 8k in under 50 minutes.  A realistic goal, I think. 

But boy, what a slippery slope this is.....if I can do an 8k.....a 10k isn't much more....just another mile.  Now I'm up to 6.2 miles....a half marathon is 13 miles, right?  Ok, I think I'm gonna set the ceiling at 10k.  For now.

Oh, and the 8k is in the middle of the day.....in July.....let's pray for a cold spell to pass through the area!

Piano recital

Last week Katie did a piano camp.  75 minute lessons for 5 days.  Looking back, they really covered a lot.  There were about 7 kids in the class, all about the same skill level.  She learned all the notes on the staff, where the notes were on the piano, and songs to play with both hands.  She also learned how to draw a treble clef.....I was easily 15 before I learned how to draw those things.

She got a piano book, and is very excited to come back and play on Grandma Mary's piano and Grandma Lyla's keyboard.....so be ready.

In the meantime, here's a clip of her piano recital she gave on the last day of class.  Keep in mind, she's playing for the other 7 students, but also their parents and grandparents.  I spose there was 20 people in the room, and she wasn't nervous at all!

Katie's Party

I better get a post in on Katie's birthday party before it's time to post one about Will's!  We had a party at home for Katie and her friends.  About a month ago I was on the computer looking at party ideas, trying to come up with a craft or activity that would be good for a group of 7 year olds.  I found some treasure hunt ideas and thought that sounded perfect!  The treasure hunt I initially created at an online site had to be shortened and made just a bit easier so that the girls' heads wouldn't explode. 

Overall, I think everyone liked it.  Well - I KNOW 4 of the girls loved it....the other 2, not so much.  But they sure perked up when the treasure chest was opened and they found their goodie bags filled with candy, pencils, paper, stickers, glow sticks, and bracelets.

The night before the party we celebrated as a family and Katie got to open presents from us.  Her number #1 request was for a real pair of binoculars and a compass.  John was able to spearhead that one....much easier shopping for him this year. :)

Opening the lock on the treasure chest. 

The birthday group...all girls from Katie's 1st grade class this year.

Will stayed away.....pretty far away.



Now it's on to Will's birthday in 13 days.  We WERE going to try to win him a birthday party at a local kid's gym.  We were close....but I don't think we're going to win.  Long story short - we're in 2nd place....a pretty far 2nd place.  But that's ok - a family BBQ, campfire and sprinkler session sounds fun too. 

As long as Batman is somehow involved.....

Weekend catch up

Sheesh, going through my pictures and I have SOOO many posts to catch up on!

- Camping trip this weekend
- Katie's birthday party
- Will's early birthday present
- Our newly painted house
- Katie's piano camp
- and more!

I guess I'll just have to start somewhere.  Since I missed a post for Friday Funnies last week cuz I was too darn busy getting ready to go camping, I'll start with some laughs.  Saturday night John and I went to Treasure Island to see comedian Louis CK.  Neither of us had been to a show there before and only John had even been there before.  It took us a little longer than we anticipated to get there, but we were still in time for the show. 

After finding a very short beer line, we settled down in our 9th row, center stage, seats.  I had gotten the tickets from a woman on Craigslist who had to sell them because her grandfather was retiring and having his party that night.  She only wanted face value for the tickets - so I was happy to find out they actually worked and weren't fakes. 

The show was very funny - if you aren't familiar with Louis CK....here's a couple clips.  WARNING:  The first clip is pretty tame and funny....the second one has lots of swearing....so don't watch if you're easily offended. :)

2 mothers....one blog entry

June is a month of birthdays in our family!  I'd like to take time to send out Happy Birthday wishes to John's mom and my mom.  John's mom celebrated her birthday on the 12th and my mom will celebrate hers on the 23rd.  (I use the term "celebrate" pretty loosely.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Summer of Science

Well....ok, 3 days.  Then I got sick of cleaning up the mess.  Katie got a science kit for Easter and we've done some magnet stuff and mixing colors.  This time we got out the fun goo and made fake snow - interesting polymers for all you brainiacs out there. 

Here's Katie blowing a bubble in our green goo.....

Happy Birthday to Katie!

Katie turns 7 today!!  Here's a blast from the past.....

I just like this picture because I love how Will is looking at Katie.  Oh, how wonderful it would be to spend another day with them at this age....

And here is Katie upstaging the Wicked Witch of the West.

Friday Funny

By OVERWHELMING demand, I have brought back Friday Funnies.  (Ok, like 2 people mentioned that they liked it......2 people can still be overwhelming, right??)

So here you go, Anne.....this one's for you.

Maybe a little tom-boy....

Katie shows she's not all princess tiaras and high heels....

Not a post for cynics....

I got a call yesterday from our church.  The woman on the other end told me that a group of women at church had made a "prayer shawl" for Katie.  They had been told a few months ago of the troubles she's had with her knees and they made her a shawl.

Those of you unfamiliar with "prayer shawls" - they are shawl/blankets made by a group of volunteers who pray for a specific person while making them.  They shawls are blessed and given to that person in hopes of providing comfort and good news. 

I was genuinely shocked - I had mentioned Katie's dr appointments a few months ago when we were really unsure about what we were going to find out about her knees.  And just this past week we had gotten some results back from another test that showed some questionable results, and we have to run those tests again next week.  So this comes at a very welcoming time.  On the other hand - our troubles and concerns seem minimal to others going through hard times right now and I feel greedy for taking the blanket when maybe they should have been praying for someone else. 

In any case - even if you can't get behind the whole "pray while making a shawl" or "blessing" concept, you have to admit it's a nice thought to have a group of people volunteer their time to make you something where you know that they were thinking about your family and hoping for good results. 

So stay tuned for a picture maybe later today.....

T-Ball time!

Will started T-ball last week.  This is his first "summer" activity of the year.  He practices for 3 weeks (one morning a week) then in July he joins a little league for T-ball and has games 1 night a week for 6 weeks. 

They worked on learning which base was 1st base...2nd base...and so on.  They also learned how to put their batting helmets on, and to not smack each other with the metal bats.  You know - the real technical stuff. :)

It was SO cute to watch and Will really had a good time.  There was also a girl from his preschool class there that he knew. 

Running the bases...there's Will right in front.

The bat is heavy!

Running home...

The team name:  The Blue Trains

An update....

If you haven't checked in with the McQuillen Caring Bridge lately, please do so.  Sean lost his battle with cancer on Saturday.  Obviously it isn't fair, but this seems grossly unfair because he was just diagnosed weeks ago and wasn't given the chance to really fight back.  So please keep his family, wife Gina and their two beautiful little girls in your thoughts. 

A new favorite

I have a new favorite song that made it to my "running" playlist.  I like to hear it while I'm running, but I especially like to hear it after I'm all done and stretching.  Give it a read and a listen.....

Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise
by Avett Brothers

There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right
And it comes in black and it comes in white
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it

When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected
If you’re loved by someone, you’re never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There’s a darkness upon you that’s flooded in light
And in the fine print they tell you what’s wrong and what’s right
And it flies by day and it flies by night
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right
There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it





Oh, and another one that makes me feel warm and fuzzy after I've gotten myself all sweaty....

I Am Mine
By Pearl Jam

The selfish, they're all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind

The North is to South what the clock is to time
There's east and there's west and there's everywhere life
I know I was born and I know that I'll die
The in between is mine
I am mine

And the feeling, it gets left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
Significant, behind the eyes
There's no need to hide...
We're safe tonight

The ocean is full 'cause everyone's crying
The full moon is looking for friends at high tide
The sorrow grows bigger when the sorrow's denied
I only know my mind
I am mine

And the meaning, it gets left behind
All the innocents lost at one time
Significant, behind the eyes
There's no need to hide...
We're safe tonight

And the feelings that get left behind
All the innocents broken with lies
Significance, between the lines
(We may need to hide)

And the meanings that get left behind
All the innocents lost at one time
We're all different behind the eyes
There's no need to hide

A warning...

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while now and am finally sitting down to do it.  I want to talk about dentists.  You may remember me writing about taking the kids to the dentist...and if you don't re-read it here and here too.

To refresh, our old dentist kept pointing out these "cavities" that we couldn't see.  Cavities that they'd only pick up on the x-ray.  Cavities that would require "laughing gas" and Novocaine.  I'd ask to see the x-ray and for some reason or another, I wasn't allowed/able to see.  I also was never allowed to go back with the kids, unless I made a big fuss about it, which I usually did anyway. 

Well, 2 years of this and I had pretty much had it.  Crazy high bills ($274 for 2 cavities....that's AFTER insurance.), and just a condescending tone, you know?  Last August the kids had their LAST check-up at this dentist.  I was told that Katie had 3-4 cavities that again - I couldn't see.  I was also told that Will had 2 cavities...one which I could see - a little spot on the outside lower molar.  She said that this cavity required that Will be put "out" and the procedure done in an OR.  Did you catch that?  They wanted him unconscious!

I told them that this was OUT OF THE QUESTION and we would not be coming back.  A few days later I got a call from the dentist and was told that she needed to read me a statement and that I had to give oral notification that I was read the statement.  It was along the lines of "so you're gonna put your child's life in jeopardy because you don't love them like we do", etc. 

It came time to find a new dentist...for myself as well because I didn't want to drive to Minnetonka anymore for myself - I wanted something closer.  I hit the yellow pages called some that had evening and weekend appointments.  Some I just got bad vibes from - one I did not.  One receptionist was wonderful and friendly and sweet.  The kids were able to get in right away for their check-up and I was only a couple weeks later.  The staff insisted I come back with them....they got to watch cartoons on TVs during their check-up and loved the staff - many of whom were grandmas themselves. :)

I alerted the dentist beforehand that I was aware the kids had a lot of cavities.  After their exam she had a talk with me about what she found.  Katie had ONE tiny cavity (not 3-4) that she was certain she could fill without Novocaine...just 2-3 seconds of drilling.  Will had ONE little cavity as well, (not 2) also not needing any Novocaine...just 3-5 seconds of drilling, and certainly did not need to be "put under".  We have since gotten the bill for these 2 cavities as well.....$140 total.  A HUGE difference from the last dentist, who I feel, took advantage of us as parents. 

Sooo....for all you locals out there, I'm naming names......Dr. Angela Wandera and Associates in Eden Prairie. Stay away from them.

Friday Funny

A little religion....a little laugh.

Comfy and cool

Two weeks ago John and I were able to escape for 24 hours to head to a wedding in St. Cloud, MN.  We left the kids with his mom who had driven up from IA for just the occasion.  This was a co-worker of John's getting married...about the last guy in the office to do so. 

Obviously we decided to stay overnight, but the REALLY nice touch that the bride and groom had added were shuttles to take guests back and forth between the hotels and reception/dance area.  This allowed everyone to have a really good time and know that they'd be safe getting back to the hotel.  Hmmm....maybe TOO good of a time.

The bride and groom also had a photo booth set up where piles of people could crowd in, take some pictures, and one set went in a book for the couple while the other set you got to keep.  Talk about craziness. :)  Throw in a mullet wig and you've really got a party. 

As is becoming tradition, hot pizzas showed up about 10:30 or so just to give everyone the last burst of energy needed to get to midnight.  Then we all piled into the shuttles and headed out.  Oh, did I mention the hotel was connected to an Old Chicago?  Perfect for one last nightcap...which was certainly not needed - however, a friend and I decided we'd have one more. 

That brings up to the bathroom floor.  It's been a long time since I've had so much to drink that I was sick all night.  (Ok...so it's only been 2 years....thanks to Shelley's bottle of wine.) BUT in college it seemed to happen more often - as it was supposed to.  The last 2 years of college I lived in a campus apartment with 5 other girls.  We had 2 bathrooms.  On nights where I had had a LOT of "fun" I wouldn't allow myself to get sick in these bathrooms because I didn't want to gross out my roomies.  Sooo...I would go out in the hallway, around the corner and use the public lobby bathroom.  I'd lock the door, hunker down with a blanket and just sleep there for the night so I wouldn't have to go back and forth.  If the roommates couldn't find me...they knew I'd be in the lobby bathroom.  Soo...the hotel bathroom also became my bed of choice that night.  The cool floor, water availability and lights were necessary, believe me.  It was nice to revisit the "younger" days....and now I think I'm good for at least another 5 years. 

Made me feel young again....to a point.  Until, of course, I came home to two kids.  And sure enough, Katie picked that afternoon to get sick herself.  So as I'm holding back her hair, I know just how she feels.

Lots to say....

There are lots of things I should say today....

Happy Anniversary to my sister, Janet and her husband, Jeff.

Congratulations to my niece, Sarah for graduating from high school.

I should tell you about the Wizard Of Oz cast party we went to today.

I should update you on Katie's knees and condition.  (All ok, go in for a checkup on Tuesday.  There I did it.)

I should tell you about the wonderful wedding we went to last weekend and the VERY comfortable bathroom floor that the hotel gave me to sleep on. :)  (Yeah, that one probably deserves it's own post.)

Instead.....I HAVE to tell you about my running today.  Now, I know - some of you may be getting sick of hearing about the "running".  But this one was big.  I ran outside for the first time today in 7 months.  I ran last October in a 5k...and for about 4 months I had been regularly running outside.  Over the winter I had to make due with the treadmill in the basement. 

It's HARD running on a treadmill - nothing to look at but #'s, no breeze, no sun, etc.  Today I remembered why I love running outside so much.  PLUS.....I ran my whole "loop" that I had planned out last summer.  Did you catch that?  I RAN the whole stinking thing!  Not once did I stop to walk, like I have always done in the past - at least two stops to walk.  That's 30 minutes of non stop running.  Could I do that on the treadmill?  No.  So don't ask.  Oh, and my pace was pretty much the same as the treadmill.

Remember my "training schedule" a few weeks back - they wanted me to run 20 minutes!!  Those bastards.

I did it!  So - I guess they did know what they were talking about.


Ok - enough running.  Next post - hotel bathroom floor.

Another friend needs your throughts....

I'm posting another link to a CaringBridge site.  Please take some time to send them your thoughts, prayers, good vibes, etc.  A good friend of mine recently found out that her husband has stage 4 colon cancer.  He's young, strong and they are gonna kick this, but right now it's difficult since it's so early on and they're just trying to get everything figured out. 

Some friends of ours have also set up a calendar for us to bring meals.  I'm signing myself up so I need some thoughts from you all on healthy, whole grain meals that I could bring over. 

Here's their CaringBridge link, and it will also be posted over on the right hand side of the blog. 

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/seanmcquillen

A Late Mother's Day cartoon

I found it!

I finally fount it!  No, not the Christmas present I hid 2 years ago....a book!

Allow me to explain....when I was little I would spend a lot of time at my aunt Carol's house.  She was a school teacher and had "older" books for children.  I think the newest book she had was "Morris Goes to School" - published in 1983.  (A great book, by the way!)  Anyway, most of the books I remember very well, and have been able to find at library book sales.

However, there is one book that was my FAVORITE, but for the life of me I couldn't remember the title.  I loved the pictures, loved the plot of the story - everything.  Now, thanks to Google's amazing search techniques I was able to find the title.

I typed in "children's book invention kids run away from home live in houses they build".  I searched through the first 10 or so results, and there it was "Andrew Henry's Meadow" by Doris Burn.

It said that the author, Doris Burn, had just recently passed away on March 11, 2011.  She was 87 years old.  When my aunt passed away she was 87 years old too.

I got chills and took this to mean that I needed to get a copy of this book.  I want to share it with my kids, in the hopes they enjoy it like I did.  Even if they didn't - I knew I would.  I found a used copy on ebay for $8.00 and I scooped it up.  It's not here yet....but soon....and I can't wait!

Basically it's about a boy whose family doesn't pay any attention to him so he runs away, builds his own home in the woods and lives in peace.  As the story goes on, more neighborhood kids get the idea of running away and join him in the forest.  They each have Andrew build them a unique forest home.  And pretty soon the forest looks like a tiny little town.  As a kid it made me want to imagine what MY forest house would look like and what kinds of things I'd want to have in it. 

Supposedly there's a movie in the works based on the book......Ugh. 

A perfect 10!

On Saturday Katie and I headed to the University of Minnesota for a gymnastics clinic that the Gopher Team was putting on for local girl scouts.  (I was really excited.....I love gymnastics and regret that the only time I attempted even a handstand, I broke my collarbone.)

Katie spent two hours in their practice facility, met all the girls and their coach, and got a signed poster for her room.  She got to do tricks on the beam, floor, bars, vault, and trampoline.  She said the trampoline was her favorite, and the bars hurt her hands.

Katie is in the purple shirt right in front....upside down. 

I think the bars really tuckered Katie out.  She had to keep using strong arms to push up and them they'd help her flip around the bars.

Katie on the bar (purple shirt).  She wouldn't let go of the girl's hand.  I kinda don't blame her....

The Gopher Gymnastics Team in the back along with all the girl scouts.

Katie is down front (second row) on her knees in the purple shirt.

So when am I signing Katie up for gymnastics?  Probably won't.  Unless I can find a nice little camp....bulk up her arms a bit. :)

Molly has a new friend!

Well, maybe "friend" is too strong a word.

This is Dustball...the neighbors cat that likes to run around outside and hunt for mice, bunnies, birds and anything else she can sink her claws into. 

No Molly, you can't go out and play.

Almost forgot the Easter bunny.......

Our Easter was pretty quiet - church, eggs, frozen pizza....you know - the usual.  Both kids sang at church that morning as well.

Will is in the red checkered shirt, Katie is right next to him in the white dress.  Looks pretty innocent right?  Well, this was rehearsal.  They sang at the beginning of the service.  Katie waited with me, and Will waited with his choir teachers.  When they brought them out and lined them up, Will was a totally different child.  He wasn't singing - he was giggling, laughing, running around behind the alter, stomping - you name it, he did it.  I was mortified!  And here it was, Easter Sunday - packed church and I was stuck in back (cuz we had gone to the earlier service)....couldn't get near the front to get his attention and tell him to stop.  Of course everyone else thought it as cute....well, some anyway. 

There's always one kid that does that, right?  I just would rather it be someone else's next time.

Congratulations William and Kate....

....from another William and Kate.

Run like the wind

Ok - so I don't quite "run like the wind".....

But I thought I'd give a little update from a couple weeks ago when I posted the 5k schedule I was following. Remember I was a little shocked at how it jumped from running 3/4 of a mile on day to running 2 miles the very next time. Well, let's just say I didn't do the 2 miles.

Week 5 had me doing 5-8-5-8 (walk 5, run 8, walk 5, run 8). I did that for a couple days then decided to "up it" to 5-10-5-10, and I was shocked that I didn't fall over dead. In fact, I realized that I honestly could have gone 5-12-5-10...maybe more. I think I'm starting to break through that "wall".  I have to have conversations with different parts of my body when my head starts screaming at me "STOP!! What are you trying to do to us - we can't do this! You KNOW we can't do this - STOP!!"

I have to consciously "check" my legs - they're fine....no pain...just tired...they can keep going. My arms: same thing, no pain - keep going. My chest - take some slow breaths, try to do some deep breaths instead of all quick shallow breathing. Calm down. No pain in the side.  Then I tell my head to F*#k off, we CAN do this.

Now I think most "runners" do this about mile 13-14....I do this at about 8 minutes in. :) However, it really makes you realize how short of a time span 2 minutes is. If you can run for 8 minutes, then I bet you can do 10. If you can do 10, then I'm sure you would survive 12...and so on. Plus - the first minute goes by so fast, doesn't really count....so if you run for 15 minutes....you really only have to worry about running 10. (Stop laughing...this rational works for me.)  When I was pregnant the first time, we took a delivery class at the hospital and that teacher told me something that really helped get me through the delivery.  "You can do ANYTHING for a minute."  A minute is not that long - you really can do anything for a minute.  Take each contraction, deal with it on it's own.  Take each minute you run, deal with it on it's own.  They all end sometime.

I think I've come a long way. The fact that I can run a whole mile - walk for 4-5 minutes, then run another mile right away, makes me happy and proud of myself. I never could do that before. So, I'm not really following the 5k schedule anymore - I'm improvising my own. Right now 5-10-5-10 is a good challenge, and I'd like to see the first 10 minutes increase a little each week, while the 5 minute walking in between shortens up. Yesterday I did 5-10-4-10 and that was a challenge. Usually by the end of this 29 minutes, I'm at just under 2.75 miles....then I was for about 90 seconds and sprint the last 90 seconds so I can get 3 miles in around 32 minutes. My goal has always been to get a 5k in under 30 minutes. Not sure if I'll ever get there, but after 7 weeks of solid running 3 times a week, I'm happy with where I'm at.

My question for you all.....
I've had to re-vamp my music that I listen to lately. The hard, fast, pulsing sounds of Green Day seem to make me more out of breath, even if I don't speed up. So I've inserted some Avett Brothers, Dave Matthews, etc.

If you listen to music when YOU exercise, what do you listen to?

Wedding Week

Have you heard that there's a royal wedding taking place this week?  Just checking to make sure you aren't living under a rock or anything. 

There are TONS of specials about the royal wedding on this week, and I've watching a few here and there, but none are great.  I don't give a flying fig about where Kate and William shared their first kiss....where they held hands.....how many times they broke up......what kind of dress she will wear......yadda, yadda, yadda.  Don't get me wrong - I'll watch the ceremony (not at 4 am), but I'd MUCH rather hear about Westminster Abby itself - do a special about that.  Tell everyone about how many wonderful coronations have taken place there......how many other weddings (besides members of the Windsor family) have taken place there.  Tell us about who's buried there - no, you won't, well then allow me....

Did you know ALL these and TONS more are buried there.....
Jane Austen
Margaret Beaufort (Henry viii's grandmother)
William Blake
Sir Winston Churchill
Oliver Cromwell (Lord Protector of England in the 1600's.....his plaque says "Burial place of Oliver Cromwell 1658-1661....only 3 years....cuz after 3 years Charles II had him dug back up....taken to Tyburn - where most executions were done and his dead body was hung up for a few days, then his head cut off and put on spikes. I'd gather he upset a few people while alive. )The fact that this still happened even just 200 years ago - blows my mind.

Charles Darwin
Charles Dickens
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Isaac Newton
William Shakespeare
Frances Brandon (daughter of Charles Brandon - niece of Henry viii, mother of Lady Jane Grey who was Queen for 9 days, then executed.)

Anne of Cleves (4th wife to Henry viii.....Queen Mary ordered her buried in the Abby....cuz she was catholic and Mary quite liked that about people.)

Speaking of being catholic....did you know that William had to ask the Queen's permission to marry? Not a big surprise - but one of the reasons she gave her approval is because Kate is NOT catholic.  The monarchy demands that if a person in line for the throne marries a Catholic - then they abdicate their claim to the throne.....or the Catholic must convert faiths.  I guess they'll be damned if another Catholic gets any power in England. :)

This is the stuff I want to know about - so since the news coverage isn't giving it to me - I guess I've found other sources. :)

I figured I can do as many posts about the royal wedding as I want because we have OUR OWN Kate and William.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today I am sending out birthday wishes to my dad.  I hope you get to do whatever you want today!  It's probably too early to mow the lawn....so maybe that leaves a trip to the nearby gambling boat. :)  If that's on the schedule - good luck!

John has memories of his dad taking him into town (they lived in the country) and treating him to a pop.  I have the same memories with my dad too.  Sometimes if I ran errands with him we'd stop off and I'd get to have a pop...in a glass....with ice...and a teeny straw.....and usually a candy bar or chips of some sort while I twirl and spin around on the wobbly circle bar stool.  I guess that's a "dad" thing - unexpected treats like that.  It's the same thing in our house - if the kids want candy or a treat they know that their odds are best if they hit up John first. :)

So happy birthday dad!  I wish we could go share a pop today, but maybe we can make time to do that in a few weeks.  Either that, or I'll help you mow the lawn. :)

Weddings really ARE for other people

I remember when I was planning our wedding, people told me "Remember, the party is really for everyone else, not you."  I thought - What?!  Of course it's for John and I....nope - it's for everyone else.  Here's why - I'm a mom of two who's been married for over 8 years, and am planning on attending a wedding/reception/dance in 2 weeks with NO kids to drag along.  Oh, and we're staying over night in a hotel....again, with NO kids. 

I think I'm more excited than the bride and groom. 

I get to buy a new dress, maybe new shoes, get a haircut, relax with friends (who are also leaving their kids at home!!)  It's been 18 months since John and I spent a night away from the kids....but who's counting. 

I'm heading to the mall today to look for a dress...I have created one in my mind that would be perfect, so of course I can't find anything that looks even remotely like it.  Oh, I take that back...I did find an Oscar de la Renta number that looked like the "mind dress", but it was $1,999.  I'm not THAT excited.

Easter Bunny comes early

Party ideas

John's birthday present was Rocky Rococo pizza and breadsticks.  It wasn't much, but seemed to hit the spot.  It had been a while since he's gotten to enjoy their pizza because it's such a long drive for us to get some.  (It's about 35 minutes away.)
The kids did help decorate with balloons, signs and streamers.  And we also had ice cream with sprinkles and cherries. 

Now I guess it's on the next set of birthdays in the house - the kids.  Katie's is coming up in June, and while that seems like it's far away - we have to start getting ideas of what we (she) would like to do for it.  We had thought about renting out a place nearby called the "Outdoor Center".  They put on an animal program for up to 10 kids, lead a nature walk, and you can bring in your own food/cake.  Now, Katie thinks she wants to have to the party here at home.  Even better!  But....what do I do to entertain 5-6 seven year old girls for 2 hours.  (Honestly, probably very little.)

In the past we've done water balloons, colored flower pots, made bookmarks, and doorhangers.  This year I was casually looking for ideas online when I ran across this site that helps you put together a treasure hunt throughout your house and yard.  The kids have to find clues, keys, solve coded messages all to lead them to a locked treasure box filled with goodies.  I can use this as a guide and create my own, or pay them $15 and they'll make it for me, tell me where to hide stuff and give me all the stuff to print out.  I think it's a pretty reasonable investment considering I would spend more on a getting a craft for the girls to do.  It'll be my own little Amazing Race....and I think I'll add some funny tasks they have to do along the way. 

So far it's looking like an all-girl party.  I think there are 5-7 girls on the invite list.  Out first friend-birthday party we had 2 out of 5 show up....last year we were 3 for 3....this year, I may just have 8 girls screaming through the house.  But it's only for 2 hours. :)

And hey - I can make copies of everything and save it for Will's 7th birthday that'll come soon enough....or better yet, I've got John's 42nd birthday party planned too.  :)

Happy Birthday John!!

Today is John's birthday!!!  I won't tell you how old he is, although I WILL mention that he was 40 last year. :)

I think I finally decided on a birthday present, although it isn't much - I think he will like it.  (As will the rest of us....which is always nice.)

Happy Birthday to the bestest dad, husband and friend we could ever ask for!! :)



Funny Friday

Katie is in the middle of studying poems at school.  I thought it would be fun to get a Shel Silverstein book of poems from the library and read through it. We're only about 1/4 of the way through, but I found some favorites that I remember when I was young.  These are all from A Light in the Attic.

Prayer of the Selfish Child

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my toys to break.
So none of the other kids can use 'em...
Amen.


One Two

One, two, buckle my shoe.
    "Buckle your own shoe!"
Who said that?
    "I did.  What are you doing with those silly buckles
     on your shoes anyway?"
Three, four, shut the door.
    "You shut it - you opened it."
Er....five, six, pick up sticks.
    "Why should I pick them up - do you think I'm your slave? 
      Buckle my shoe, shut the door, pick up sticks, next thing
      you'll be telling me to lay them straight."
But it's only a poem....Nine, ten, a big fat....oh never mind.


Fancy Dive

The fanciest dive that ever was dove
Was done by Melissa of Coconut Grove.
She bounced on the board and flew into the air
With a twist of her head and a twirl of her hair.
She did thirty-four jackknives , backflipped and spun,
Quadruple gainered, and reached for the sun,
And then somersaulted nine times and a quarter -
And looked down and saw that the pool had no water. 

Crazy thoughts

As readers of this blog you should know that you are very lucky that I don't write my posts while I'm on the treadmill.  Not only would it be difficult to balance the computer on the arm rests - it would be filled with rants of nonsense.  Seriously, my thought patterns are so "off" when my heartbeat is above 150.  Mostly my thoughts center around math and equations relating to speed, lap time, mph, etc.  Ok, if I increase my speed .5 mph, that would decrease my lap time by X and improve my 3 mile time by Y.....on the other hand, if I walk for 2 minutes at this speed, and then run for an extra lap, would it end up giving me the same time......and so one, and so on.  I literally drive myself crazy....but then my heartbeat comes back down and I think normal thoughts like I have to remember to set up a fan in the basement, and geez I should maybe start running in shorts instead of yoga pants. 

On a bright note - I moved onto Week 5 of the training schedule - remember, the one with the big jump to running 2 miles?  Well, I decreased my speed from 6.7 to 6.2 and I felt a lot better running for three 5 minute intervals.  I even felt like 8 minutes may just be possible.  At the end of 26 minutes though - I ended up going 2.25 miles instead of my usual 2.5....but that will get better too. 

The schedule lets you choose whether you measure yourself by distance or time.  Like I said - I do time cuz it's easier to keep track of....it keeps moving at the same pace, even if you slow down. :)  But I try to cover their suggested distance or even more.  During the walking periods for example, they tell you to walk 1/4 mile or 3 minutes.  I walk at 4.3 mph and that's a pretty decent speed walk for me - pumping my arms, etc.  However - at that speed I'm doing a quarter mile in about 3 and a half minutes - not 3 minutes.  Sooo....I SHOULD be walking at a speed of 5 mph.  But I think that's crazy!  (And only for people with long legs.)  

Obviously the two measurements aren't necessarily even related - they are just 2 separate ways to measure.  If you run for 5 minutes....walk for 3.  If you ran for 1/2 mile - walk for 1/4 mile.  But like I said - I do a lot of math on the treadmill and I compare the two.  Will I ever run a whole mile without stopping?  Yes.  I'm confident I'll get back to that.  Will I ever run 2 miles without stopping?  I don't know - it would be nice.  But I'm trying to stay in the mindset of just getting the miles done one way or another, even if there's walking involved. 

So it appears some of my treadmill thoughts HAVE leaked onto the blog.  I guess you guys aren't as lucky as I thought you were.  Sarah - maybe I DO need to do your calculus homework....I may need an outlet.

Winding down

Can you believe it's the middle of April already?  The school year is really winding down and the end is in sight.  Will's preschool ends the end of April - so he only has 3 days left, really.  Katie has about 8 weeks left since they go until June 10th.  I've had 3 people approach me already to ask about getting play groups set up for the summer, getting friends signed up for activities, etc.  So it prompted me to get the calendar down, look through all the community books and write down what I thought we'd commit to this summer. 

Oh, and I did ask the kids what they'd like to do too. :)

Here's a first draft of what we're looking at this summer....keep in mind, this will probably get narrowed down more......

Katie -  swimming lessons
             piano lessons
             soccer camp (4 weeks, one day a week)
             volleyball camp (4 days)
             dance camp (2 days)
             cheerleading camp (4 days)
             drama camp (5 days)
             playground camp (7 weeks, one day a week)
             play date with friends - at least one day a week
             Girl Scout camp

Will - swimming lessons
         VBS (5 days)
         Bug art (one day)
         Gym Class Camps (2-3 days)
         T-Ball (5 weeks, one day a week)
         play date with friends - at least one day a week
            
I know it seems like a lot....but I don't know, it's nice to have something every week to fill up the time.  Wanna hear the miracle of all this scheduling?  So far.....Katie and Will's activities do not overlap each other.  So I don't have to choose between the two kids. :)  Will's list is totally doable....Really it's the same as last summer....the only addition is T-ball.  Katie's is a little more....she didn't do dance camp, volleyball camp or piano lessons before.  But I like doing these little "camp" sessions because they aren't much of a time commitment and she gets a taste to see if she likes it.  The only one I'm second guessing is volleyball camp.....I picked that one....not Katie.  I always liked playing volleyball.  It was a sport that even short people got a position.....but I'm thinking that Katie won't quite be into it, so that may be the first one to go. 

Now some may say - why even do ANY activities - when I was younger I didn't get to go to any "camps", I just played outside.  I agree - I didn't really do any organized activities in the summer either - besides park softball.  There really weren't any options like this in a small town.  My reasoning is this.....right now, I have the time to take the kids to these activities.  I might not always have that freedom.  They are also priced pretty reasonably.  Believe me, there are more expensive choices out there.  For example, the drama camp I'm doing is about $100 for a week.  But I could drive 20 minutes and Katie could do a week with a real children's theater company for $250.  Dance is the same way....$40 versus $85.

Also - Katie is kind of slow to make friends.  We've heard it from every teacher and I see it when she's with a group.  Exposing her to new people, new groups, as well as doing play dates with friends give her a chance to practice friend-making skills.

Will pretty much jumps right in with who ever is willing to play with him. :)  I just want to watch him play T-ball. 
 

Garage Sale

I participated in the town's 2nd Annual Indoor Garage Sale over the weekend.  It was 4 hours on Sunday, with 2 hours to set up Saturday night.  I didn't spend too much time preparing for it - mainly because everything was still in boxes and priced from LAST year's sale. :)  So I only had to worry about the clothes the kid's had recently outgrown, and since Katie didn't grow mush this past year I think I only took 6 things out of her drawers.  Will had more, but still only about 20 pieces. 

I counted my cash last night and figured I was $40 ahead.  Not as much as last year's $130 take, but still a fun way for me to spend a few hours.  And I DO like the whole garage sale "thing" - I like buying, I like selling, I just like it.  So even $40 is good for me.  Why was last year so good?  Well, I had some "hot" baby items that went fast...this year was 90% clothes, priced at $.25 each mostly. :)

All in all, I took 14 boxes of "stuff".....and I came home with 6 empty boxes. 

Running program

It's been a few weeks since I've been back at the running thing and I wanted to share with you the schedule I'm on to get your feedback.  I found this 5k training schedule at

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

It's a 9 week program and I am currently in the middle of week 4, so pretty much smack dab in the middle.  I feel like I'm at the point I was a few months ago, and just can't seem to push myself past this point.  Does that make sense?  They give you the option of measuring your runs by time or distance....I chose time because I go further/longer, and it's just easier to measure.

Here's what they suggest:  (I'll be honest.....I skipped ahead and started with week 2)

Week 1 (same all week): 5 min warm up walk first
                                       60 seconds of jogging
                                       90 seconds of walking
                                       Alternate for 20 minutes

Week 2 (same all week): 5 min warm up walk first
                                       90 seconds of jogging
                                       2 minutes of walking
                                       Alternate for 20 minutes

Week 3 (same all week): 5 minute warm up walk first
                                       90 seconds of jogging
                                       90 seconds walking
                                       3 minutes jogging
                                       3 minutes walking
                                       Repeat  (90-90-3-3)

Week 4 (same all week): 5 minute warm up walk first
                                       3 minutes jogging
                                       90 seconds walking
                                       5 minutes jogging
                                       2 1/2 minutes walking
                                       3 minutes jogging
                                       90 seconds walking
                                       5 minutes jogging

Week 5 (day1): 5 minute walk              (day 2):   5 minute walk     
                          5 minutes jog                    8 minutes jog             
                          3 minutes walk                  5 minutes walk            
                          5 minutes jog                    8 minutes jog               
                          3 minutes walk
                          5 minutes jog
      
               (day 3): 5 minute walk
                            Jog 2 miles (20 minutes) with no walking

Week 6 (day 1): 5 minute walk     (day2): 5 minute walk         
                      5 minutes jog               10 minutes jogging              
                      3 minutes walk             3 minutes walking               
                      8 minutes jog               10 minutes jogging             
                      3 minutes walk
                      5 minutes jog

               (day3): 5 minute walk
                           Jog 2 1/4 miles (25 minutes) with no walking

Week 7 (same all week): 5 minute walk
                                       Jog 2.5 miles or 25 minutes
                                       with no walking

Week 8 (same all week): 5 minute walk
                                       Jog 2.75 miles or 28 minutes
                                       with no walking

Week 9 (same all week): 5 minute walk
                                       Jog 3 miles or 30 minutes
                                       with no walking

Ok......like I said, I'm in week 4 and happy.  I hit the 2 mile mark at about 23 minutes in...puts me just a little behind the pace of last summer/fall.  BUT did you check out week 5?????  It seems like a BIG jump to go from running 1 - 8 minute chunk to running 20 minutes with no stops.  I spose I'll just slow my pace way down and give it a try....but I don't know.  Right now I run around 6.5 - 6.7 mph.  I don't want to go slower than 6 mph.   Maybe I'm crunching the numbers too much.  But doesn't that seem like an odd jump when the program hasn't even asked me to run ONE mile yet?

I don't know - maybe there's a miracle waiting happen next week.  Maybe that's the mental part of running that I can't seem to conquer yet.

Climbing walls

Sorry - I haven't been posting....been too busy staring at the Decorah Eagles along with 160,000 other people across the country.  Check back to this post if you're unsure what I'm talking about.  For the record, I was watching these eagles when there was only about 2,000 others interested. :)  They are really exciting now that there are 2 babies to watch.

This week was Katie's spring break and we decided to climb the walls...literally.  Friday night we went to REI and tried out their climbing walls.  Katie, John and I all took turns and are excited to trying it again in the future. 

Katie was eager to get climbing and didn't hesitate at all! 

She got pretty high...then seemed to get stuck, wanted to come down (that's the fun part). 

I made it up less than halfway...seemed to get stuck too.  But it was sure high enough for me! 

Should we take bets on how high John goes? 

Of course, he made it all the way to the top.



Katie and I decided that, next time, John should carry us on his back so that we can get to the top too. :)

Katie update

Remember a few weeks ago I mentioned that the swelling in Katie's knees was a strep infection?  Well she was on penicillin for 10 days and there was no change.
Last Wednesday, the dr called back to check on her - I told them her knees don't look any different. She said she was expecting that...a few doctors had met and talked about Katie's case (cuz it was pretty puzzling to them) and they brought in the Infectious Disease Specialist at Children's Hospital. They agreed that given the high strep results, and the swelling joints it has to be treated as a type of Rheumatic fever.  It just means infected tissue....that, if left untreated, damages children's kidneys and heart valves.

So - Katie has been put on 6 months of penicillin (at least) and we go had to go back to the clinic on Friday for them to take a urine sample and more blood tests to see if her kidneys have been damaged so far.  It took a while, but Katie had her first "pee in a cup" success.  Then they wanted to draw more blood for a Lyme's disease test.  I pointed out that we requested that test during the last blood draw, and it was negative.  Sure enough...that request saved Katie from having to get another needle!

The clinic called us about 3 hours after Katie's appointment to let us know that her kidneys look good so far.  They'll probably check again in a few weeks to make sure everything stays functional.  They also did an EKG, which looked good, but was sent on to the pediatric cardiologist at Children's Hospital for a second opinion.  Then, in 3-6 months we have to go do an echocardiogram to check the status of her heart valves.

We go back in 6 weeks for a checkup. 

Letting the cat out of the bag

I guess I'm ready to let the cat out of the bag.  I say that like I've known for a long time, but I actually just found out a few days ago.

My nephew and his girlfriend are expecting a baby in August.  I switch between moods of extreme calm about the whole situation and flipping out because he's my nephew.  Granted, he's 21.  I figure if he can build a computer, he can figure out a diaper. 

I wish he had told me sooner.....BUT it'll give me some fun stuff to look for at garage sales this summer.

Oh, and I also know the sex.  Do you want to know?

Remember my foot??

A few weeks ago I posted about my foot and how much it hurt - don't think I ever updated you on it. 
I did get x-rays, went and saw a podiatrist cuz after 3 days it just wasn't any better and by 5 or 6 pm, I couldn't put any weight on it at all. 

Nothing was broken.  He thought he saw a crack, but turned out just to be lines in the bone (or something like that).  From the exam he could tell that the long tendon that ran under my foot and up the outside of my ankle was swollen and VERY tender.  So I got the typical dr advice...ice it and take Aleve.  I skipped the pills, but I did ice it for a few days as much as I could.

He also said that I shouldn't run on it for 2 weeks, and then when I do start - start at the very beginning of a running program.  Well, 2 weeks was up yesterday so I was interested to get back on the treadmill.  I had been able to walk normally for about a week - no pain, and the run went well too. 

I started an 8 week 5k program, and even though I felt I could jump to week 4 or 5, I didn't.  I also didn't start with week 1.  I started with week 2.....yeah, I'm a rebel.  I guess it'll be good to follow a program and see if that helps me get a better time at the end of 8 weeks.  Before....I was just running til I got tired, then walk, then run a bit, the walk a little, etc. with no measurement or knowledge if I was really pushing myself more each time. 

Dream drama

Don't you hate it when you have a pretty involved dream.....a bad dream actually and the people in it make you so mad that you wake up angry?  And you just want to say "So what the hell was THAT last night?"  But you know that they would stare at you blankly and assume you're crazy.

That was my dream last night.  I dreamt that John left me for some chippee in Decorah, but he wasn't telling me about her - just that he wanted out of our house.  Pleasant, huh?  So then I visit his apartment in Decorah and found remnants of a girl being there.  Talk about a nightmare!  I kept waking up, tossing and turning - then going back to this stupid dream - all. night. long.  I was never so glad to get up in the morning. 

So as John came down the stairs, getting ready for work - it was all I could do to keep from yelling "Who was she?!"  Again...I stopped myself because I knew I'd get the blank stare and the assumption that I had left for crazy town.

As far as dream interpretation goes, this probably means I want a puppy or something.

Fun animals

If you have time, check out this site - it streams animals from all over the world.  There is an eagle's nest near Decorah, IA that has 2 eagles egg-sitting currently.  We're keeping an eye on it to see if we can see the babies soon. 
Also - the CA squirrel is fun to watch in the morning....up close and personal.


http://www.ustream.tv/pets-animals

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday today to my sister, Janet and my friend, Julie! 

Happy Birthday and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Janet, my sister, in her glory days of high school.....a bit of time ago. :)



Japan's Devastation

I'm sure you've all been watching the news, reading the stories coming out of Japan.....but here's a new angle from someone who's actually living it. 

http://marosu.blogspot.com/

It's a blog written by a friend of a friend of a friend. :)  He's an IT Specialist over in Japan who is originally from Minnesota.  It's amazing to read his account of all that's been happening.  If you have time - check it out. 

Happy Birthday Jordan!

Happy 17th Birthday to my nephew Jordan.  Sheesh - 17!  I think it's totally sad that I had to look back at last year's post to make sure I wasn't going insane, and that he really was 17!!!

Happy Pi Day!

It's 3/14.....Happy Pi (3.14) Day. :)

It's Monday - another weekend in the books, and it's already mid-March.  This past weekend John manned the house himself with both kids.  I was off to WI (no, not to Madison).  I spent the weekend with girlfriends from college and had a wonderful time.  We went out to eat, had some drinks, and skyped with some friends in New York City and Texas.  I should have taken the camera along....but of course, it was left at home. 

College gals....spent the weekend with the bottom 3....and that's me up on the top.

John had to take Katie to a birthday party on Saturday at the bowling alley and Katie really had a great time.  Sounds like the girls bowled, danced, and had yummy cake.  Will talked John into playing some video games while there and I guess, from the conversation at the dinner table last night, Daddy let them get away with just about anything. :)  That's ok - maybe it'll make it easier to get away in the future.

Before I sign off - we got the test results back on Katie's knees.  Remember last week we took her in because of the swelling in her knees?  They drew blood and ran a bunch of tests to see what was going on and it turns out she has a strep-type infection in the fluid and tissue surrounding her knees.  According the pharmacist, it's more common than you might think.  So she's on antibiotics for that and hopefully, we should see her knees return to normal in a week or so. 

Molly's in the mood for love....

Yesterday I thought Molly had eaten something she shouldn't have or was feeling ill....today it hit me.  Duh, she's in heat.  How long does this last again? :)

It's snowing again today, but we aren't due for much more than 1-2 inches....we'll see. 

"Pebbles" is still with us, and fitting right in.  She seems to be getting louder...that's probably a good sign.  Also, the last 2 days she's wanted to sit on the little potty every time Will went to the bathroom, so we did it a few times on Monday....and then Monday night I was told she actually went pee on the potty at home for the first time.  Yep, sure, I'll take credit for that. :)  (Odds are it may be a while before it happens again.)

Yesterday we took Katie to the dr. for a little check-up because we'd been concerned with her growth/weight gain and her knees.  Anyone that knows Katie, knows she's always been petite...and probably always will be.  However, in the last 2 years we've seen her grow 2 inches, and gain 4 pounds.  On the handouts they give at the doctor's office it says "Average weight gain for a 6 year old is 6 pounds a year."  Hmmm.....
Well, long story short - they aren't concerned at all, we don't have to alter her diet, she still "makes the chart". 

Now her knees....we noticed about a month ago that one knee was really swollen - much larger than the other one....and actually they both looked weired.  It didn't seem to go away, but it wasn't bothering her - no pain or discomfort.  We still wanted to get it checked out and the doctors that looked at her were a bit puzzled too.  They took x-rays, which showed nothing, and they drew blood for various tests that will tell us if the swelling is due to specific inflammations.  We get those results back in a few days. 

Ok - is it my turn?  Now me....my foot is killing me!  Geez, last night all of a sudden whenever I put weight on my left foot, I get a shooting pain on the outer side of my ankle.  If I walk on my tip toes - it feels fine.  And I can do ankle circles, flex my foot, etc. - no problem.  But if I walk for a few minutes, I can't take it.  I ran on Monday....felt fine.  So I called a dr. and I'm gonna go get it looked at tomorrow.  From what I am reading online - it seems as though there is a bone/joint out of position that just needs to be popped back in. 

On to Will and John......
Will is fine and John is playing raquetball tonight - be careful! :)

End of week 1

I'm at the tail end of my first week as a full time babysitter.  I've really liked this "peek" into what life is like with 3 kids.  In some ways it's easier than I thought.  Katie and Will are really helpful with "Pebbles".  Probably because they aren't related to her.

Will loves to run and get a diaper when we need one.  Katie enjoys entertaining in the afternoon, showing off all her stuffed animals.  There've been no bumps, no bruises, Pebbles is still alive and smiling.  That's a successful week in any house.

Look for some more Wizard of Oz pics coming soon....I was just e-mailed a link to 703 pictures that were taken over the last week of production.  105 of them are of Katie......

It's later, so here's more.

The kids are asleep right now so I will take the opportunity to write a bit more.  Katie is at school.

It's day #2 of my babysitting gig and it's going great.  Little "Pebbles" is very cute, just the "right" age - 1 1/2, and Will adores her.  Since I've already had 2 this age, it doesn't seem like much has changed.  Katie comes home from school and I have 3 for 2 hours or so....but that's not bad either since they all have a way of entertaining each other. 

I am now driving the truck because it's the only vehicle that will hold 3 car seats in the back seat.  But that's not bad either because I know John is happy to drive the car. 

I would say it's longer hours than helping the elderly woman, but much less stress.  Basically, I can just go about my normal day....play in the morning, home for lunch, home for naps....which we would be anyway.  On the weekends we try to head to IA, it would be nice leaving town before 5:30 pm.....so hopefully we can strike a happy medium there. 

Goodbye Wizard, Hello Pebbles

"Pebbles" is here at our house for day #2.  Yesterday went very well - her and Will (Bam-Bam) get along very well and Katie likes having another girl around.  More later....