Texas, Revisited

Last year, about this time, Matt and I took a kid free trip down to Texas to watch the most amazing football game ever: BYU vs. OU in Dallas Cowboys stadium. This year, we went down for a slightly less impressive game, but had tons of fun nevertheless! We met up with our great friends from Columbia that recently moved to Arkansas. First we did a little of this.

Then we ate a little of these.

Then we worked on our tans while we watched a little football and cheered on our former missionary Austin Holt, #88.

Then I got a little ghetto (and also sang the Fight Song twice pretty much entirely by myself. Phillip claims to have sung along, but I never heard him, and he certainly didn't Rise and Shout).

Then I got a hug from my favorite player (2 times).

20 hours of round trip driving, but it was totally worth one fun-filled day with great friends. Just remember people, Matt and I are always up for a party, so if you live within a days drive (and preferably if BYU football is involved), let's get something in the books!

Going Ons

Life is life. And it's busy. This picture cracked me up: Jenna "helping" Brooke pose correctly for their picture on Brooke's first day of Preschool.

Last weekend we (my sister and I) surprised my mom and took her to see So You Think You Can Dance on tour in Kansas City. We also surprised her by having my other sister from Utah fly out and meet us there. I know what you're thinking...Daughters of the Year Award. Don't worry, I've already submitted our names for consideration. My little sister took some awesome pics from that weekend, so I'll post some pics when I get some....hint hint Nikki.

We have some fun up-coming events to look forward to: Matt and I are going to Dallas to watch the BYU v. TCU game and meet up with some good friends for the weekend. We're also going on a family trip to Tan-Tar-A with my parents for a few days, possibly Branson with some friends and then I'm going to Springfield for a gym training. All in October. Maybe we'll skip Halloween. You all know I don't like it anyway. I'm sure a king size bag of starbursts would assuage my children's sadness over missing it. Everyday is "dress up" day here anyway.

So I guess what I'm saying is, maybe I'll have some real stuff to blog about pretty soon.

Maybe.

Trip to UT and first day of school

So I think pretty much every blog I've read this week as had these two blog topics: "My trip to Utah" and "First Day of School." So look how nice I am that I've combined them both into one for you. You can thank me later.

The Trip:
Started by driving through the night to Utah. Left at 3pm Missouri time. Arrived in Oakley, Utah at 9am. Funniest dang story about the whole thing was that I wasn't feeling very well and I wanted to stop at a hotel. Matt, Mr. I'm-Not-Paying-$100-for-a-Crappy-La Quinta, insisted that he could drive solo through the night and be just fine. So he did; and he was (thanks in no small part to 5 Hour Energy shots). Well, we stopped for some McD's bfast at around 5:30am and I had been "sleeping" (aka tossing and turning in the back seat). So Matt says to me, "I'm really starting to feel dead, do you think you could drive for a while." Of course, I say, because I'm so loving and compassionate. So Matt climbs in back and falls fast asleep. Meanwhile, I'm driving along and a good while goes by...I'm talking 20, maybe 30 minutes and I just start feeling like I'm going to fall asleep and crash us into a Exit sign or something so I call back to Matt, "Honey, I'm getting kind of sleepy up here....do you think we could switch?" Matt: "Yah sure, how long have I been out?" Me, "Um....30 minutes...." Matt: "You've got to be kidding me, right?!?!?"
Oh man, that gives me the biggest laugh. I'm a huge baby. What can I say? Okay, first stop: Oakley, Utah. Home of the Oakley Rodeo and whole bunch of cowboy stuff and nature. Look how countrified my girls are, climbing on hay bails and such.

The highlight though was when their uncle Cody saddled up the horses and we all got to take them out for a ride (YES! Myself included (for like 1 minute)). This is Brooke with her cousin Mariah.

This pic cracks me up! City Slicker!

Okay, stop number 2: Provo. We stayed with my grandma and granddad and visited with my sister Nikki. She even scored us FREE tickets to 7 Peaks. Beuno.

Notice my Dippin Dots. Heck yes. $6 well spent I say.

And the trip highlight: BYU preseason football practice. That's right people, we went two days in a row and sat in the 90 degree heat to watch BYU practice. They did actually scrimmage a bit, so that was fun. Notice in this picture my two BFFs. That would be number 88 Austin Holt (because he served his mission in our ward) and poor posture Bronco himself. Ahh, my besties. So fun. I have some other pics on my iphone that I might load on here, they're on facebook already though, so....probably not.

ON TO......

The First Day O' School

The first day was a little anticlimactic because Jenna went to summer school Kindergarten and for the fall she has her same teacher and same school and everything....so it really made things easy. Full day Kindergarten here people, that's right, feel free to be jealous. :)

No tears from this mama. I was so excited for Jenna to start Kindergarten! Not because I wanted her gone all day long (okay, well not entirely), but because she is SO ready to be out and about and learning and meeting new people. She's so social and such a quick learner that I think she'll just thrive. She's going to a school called Lee Expressive Arts school. They have an emphasis on the fine arts and Matt and I think it will be great for her. Can't wait to see what the year holds. Brooke will be starting as a peer model at the same preschool Jenna mentored at on September 7th! More to come on that... Peace people.

Happy Birthday Jenna!

Jenna's fifth birthday has come and gone and I can hardly believe I have a five year old! Although in truth, she's seemed like she was five for about 2 years now. The birthday celebrations started Saturday when we went and saw Toy Story 3 with Grandma, followed by a birthday dinner at the restaurant of Jenna's choice. Let me just tell you, Jenna loves having power and authority. She used her power of choosing the restaurant to her best advantage by threatening Brooke, "Brooke, if you don't do [fill in the blank], I'm not going to choose your favorite restaurant for my birthday dinner!" or bargaining with her parents, "Mommy you love El Jimador, don't you? Well I might choose it for my birthday dinner if you're really nice to me today." In the end she chose the Olive Garden for who knows what reason. I guess I wasn't nice enough to get El Jimador.Don't worry, that 44 ouncer isn't Brooke's....It's MINE! :)

Then on Monday (Jenna's actual birthday) Matt got off early and we headed to the Beach Club!

JCPenny's called and they want their pose back.

Missy and Brent came with us. Here's Owen's first time on the water slide!


Jenna is an awesome swimmer. She can go off the 1 meter diving board into the 12ft deep end and isn't scared at all. I think next year we'll put her on the Wilson's Swim Team (that's the gym where I work).



Last but not least we had cake and ice cream at our house that night. Now originally Jenna had said she just wanted a little family party this year for her birthday, since a lot of her friends were moving away and wouldn't be here to have a big party. Well, apparently at church on Sunday she changed her mind and began inviting all her CTR 5 classmates over to our house for a raging party "with cake and games and prizes!" She also told them that a prize would be awarded to the friend who brought the best present and that she especially liked princesses and rainbows. When her teacher told me about this afterwards on Sunday I was so embarrassed! Of course we had a talk about how we don't solicit presents from people and we don't award prizes based on how well we like said presents either. Well anyway, after all of Jenna's own party planning, we did end up having some friends over, as well as the family, and it was really fun. We didn't, however, have any games or prizes like Jenna had promised. Sorry kids!

This years' cake request was Cinderella. She looks a lot like last years' Sleeping Beauty (only Blue) and Jenna has informed me that next year will be Belle. Looks like I've got a pretty easy job just doing the same thing over and over again!

I certainly have my hands full containing the 15 year old that's trying to break free in Jenna's little personality, but I love so many things about her and really enjoy spending time with her. I think as she grows up that will only increase and I can already see us being great friends down the road. After she grows out of her sassy attitude that is. This house is only big enough for one sassy attitude and that's mine! ;)

Running the Hospital Hill Half Marathon

What follows is my journey, inception to completion, of running the Hospital Hill Half Marathon. There are a few things I do NOT profess to be: A good cook, a good dancer, a good ice sculptor or a good magician. And certainly high on this list would also be, a good runner. I have never been able to run long distances well. Shoot, I can't even run short distances quickly. I remember I was on the track team in 8th or 9th grade and I competed in the the 400m race (one lap around the track) and came in last very nearly every single race. I'll admit, I only wanted to be on the track team so I could wear the cute warm ups to school and get to leave early for track meets.

Fast forward from 8th grade until about 4 months ago. I had run a couple 10k's (6.1 miles) and they were kind of fun and I didn't totally hate them. I found my endurance for running had greatly improved and wasn't nearly as hard, thanks to all the Bodystep classes I teach. Well, the next thing you know I find myself peer pressured into signing up for the Kansas City Half Marathon. At least I found a discount code online! Sweet! I type it in and it knocks $10 off the entry fee, so now I'm only invested $45, so if I back out, I'm out $10 less.

Then the training begins. First our runs are around 3-5 miles. No problem, I can handle these. I'm no Forrest Gump, but I can manage. We're supposed to run 3 times a week, but with all my other gym classes, I'm lucky to get in 2 a week and most weeks I only can get in the one "long run" on Saturday. I remember one especially brutal week, when we couldn't run on Saturday for some reason and we had to move our long run to Thursday night. I had already taught one bodystep class and one Pump class that day. So I rested for a few hours, took a 5 hour energy shot and joined up with the crew to run 8 or 9 miles that night. Man, that one was brutal!

Well, no surprise here, I end up have some injuries due to over training and over use on the tendons in my knees. But now, not only have I paid my $45 entry fee, but we've also booked a hotel at the Marriott where all my friends are staying, there's NO backing out now. Dr. Dan tells me I'm okay to run, just keep up on the Ibuprofen, ice and hey, here's an idea, REST a little bit!

Race morning:
I pretty much don't sleep at all the night before. Maybe it's nerves, or the 2 diet cokes I drank at 10pm, or anxiety over the alarm clock not going off, who knows. It wasn't the bed though, the beds at the Marriott are a-maz-ing! 5:45 finally comes and I shut off the alarm before it even goes off. I head to the bathroom to eat and drink gross tasting stuff that you would only eat or drink if you are desperate for some sort of miracle performance enhancing help. I am desperate. Gu's and gels and drinks and energy bars: down the hatch. Glide body lubricant, applied liberally everywhere that touches anything. Sunscreen, check. Knee jumper brace, check. Last but not least I stuff that little tiny pocket in my running shorts full of Ibuprofen, caffeine jelly beans, another Gu gel and sticks of gum. I now look like I have a hip tumor.

Race Begins:
Right before the race starts I jump in the line for the Johnny on the Spots and when it's finally my turn I make the HUGE mistake of looking into the toilet as I step in. WHY? WHY oh why did I do that? I'm now feeling nauseous as I make my way to the starting line, my hands heavily drenched in Purell.

We stand by the 2:00 pace team (this is my friends' goal time, it was my goal time too, long ago in the land of good knees, now my goal is simply: finish). It doesn't take long after I hear the gun shot to see the backsides of my running group getting farther and farther ahead of me. I knew it would be a lonely 13.1 miles, thankfully I had the Black Eyed Peas and the cast of Glee to keep me company. Oh, and some crazy old black guy with a cape that said "Trust Jesus!" on it.

I wont bore you with too many details from the grueling 13 miles, except to say it went a lot like this: Up a hill, down a hill. Up a hill, down a hill. It honestly got to the point where I dreaded the downhills more than the uphills because the downhills are MUCH more painful on my knees. I don't know how best to summarize the experience, because as I passed each mile marker I felt a great sense of accomplishment and euphoria, yet as I moved away from each marker and ran the next mile, I felt a great sense of dread and fear, wondering if I could honestly complete the race, or even the next mile.

When I finished the last hill and the finish line was finally in sight and I ran down the last leg looking for my friends and family that would surely be cheering me on, none were found. It was a crazy mad house. I crossed the finish line, got my medal and 10 pound box of "goodies" and then was spit out into a heaving throng of people. At this point I thought I just might pass out. Why in the world am I carrying around this huge box, I just ran 13 miles?!? Finally after 30 minutes of aimlessly wandering around, I borrowed some ladies cell phone and called Matt. They'd missed me crossing the finish line because, well, there were thousands of people everywhere and he had a 4 year old and a 3 year old to keep from getting kidnapped.

And today? My knees are killing me and not only my knees, but pretty much every inch of my body is sore. But ya know what? I did it. And I'm getting one of those stupid 13.1 stickers to put on my van!

On that note, does anyone want to run the Roots n' Blues half marathon with me in October? Training starts in a couple months! :)

Movin' on Up

Jenna's preschool graduation was this week. Jenna has absolutely loved being a peer model at this preschool for children with special needs. She is always very eager to help them and take them places and show them things. I think she thinks she's one of the teachers, and in a way, maybe she kind of is. It has taught her many things, not the least of which is to value people's differences and to not be afraid of people that might look differently or talk differently. Brooke will also be a peer model there for the next two years and we're excited for her.

Two of Jenna's church friends were peer models at the same place. Sami (in red) was in Jenna's same class, but they all saw each other on the playground (or so they tell me!)
Jenna's teacher, Ms. Lori, was really wonderful. It makes me so grateful for good teachers who really love and care for your children. I think you can really tell when a teacher loves what they do and when they love the children. Jenna's teacher totally did and was really good about catering to Jenna's strengths (being in charge! aka helping others).

Is anyone surprised to see Jenna leading the group out? She loves to be line leader!

Curly Sue Turns 3

Brooke's third birthday has come and gone and I have yet to post about it. I guess that's just what happens with child number 2, they get glossed right over. ;) Truth be told, she had a great birthday party and I'm pretty much the coolest mom ever. We went to St. Louis for the weekend and took the girls to a million fun places, no pictures of that, sorry. Then for her actual birthday we had a little party with family and a couple friends and she was in heaven. I think Brooke gets the short end of the stick a lot of times because she came second and all I have to compare her to is Jenna. They are different in every conceivable way, from their hair to their hands (right and left handed) and I think I really didn't know what to do with her for a while. But I think I've figured her out now and she's kinda grown on me. ;)

Brooke is: Silly, weird, easy going, coordinated, friendly, helpful, sneaky, smiley, snugly, teasing, candy obsessed, snack crazy and water loving.

Brooke got a water table from Matt and I for her birthday.

Her party was a Dora party. The theme and the cake had been picked out and planned since about 8 months ago by Brooke and Jenna.

Brooke will be attending the same peer model preschool that Jenna has been at this past year. She scored shockingly high on her little screening test and I think she will LOVE LOVE LOVE getting to be the "leader" for once in her life. Because heaven knows with Jenna around she never gets the chance at home!

PS I know the date on my camera is WAY off people. I fixed it already!

Happy Easter

"Oh thank you Easter Bunny!" (Jenna shouted that at about 7am when she ran out and saw the goods he had brought them). Despite what Matt and I have told her to the contrary, she refuses to believe that the Easter Bunny is not real. "You're trying to say that you got us all these treats and presents?? Yah right!" was Jenna's argument.
No peeking while Grandma hides the eggs out front!

With about 5 dozen eggs and only two little girls to find them...let's just say they didn't walk away disappointed.

Candy Queen opened her tower of eggs in record time.

Jenna, who is much more methodical and much more concerned about what Brooke is or isn't doing, took much longer.

We had a great Easter weekend. We did the baskets and the egg hunt on Saturday with a barbecue Saturday night. Then had a more traditional Easter Dinner and celebration on Sunday. The weather was beautiful and we just had a nice time together listening to conference, doing projects around the house and enjoying the outside. All in all, I'm feeling really grateful this weekend for many things, but most especially for my family. We had a really hard start to the week of Spring Break (Monday was a terrible day) but the girls (and myself!) have tried really hard to make the rest of this week a fun and happy one and it has really worked. The good times are so good, I just have a hard time remembering them sometimes when I'm in the midst of the bad times. Happy Easter everyone! Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Good way to spend a Saturday

Ward Party, Park, Bike Riding, Kite Flying, Pizza Delivered, Dart Gun Fight. Yep, pretty good.

I blame....FB

Everyone's been on my case lately, "You never update your blog anymore!" Well...it's true. I'm turning into those once a month updaters that used to drive me crazy. You know what I blame, Facebook. Facebook is so quick and easy and you can type "5 year old peed on my kitchen floor today" and that's all you have to say to get your point across. No picture necessary or verbose narrative required. Now if I posted that for a blog posting people would think I was loosin' it a bit. It seems like most of the things happening in my life right now are just one liners anyway, nothing worthy of an extensive paragraph plus pics.

On that note, here are some pictures from Christmas, mostly for the fam, they've been bugging to see them and since it's, oh, mid March, I figure it's high time I got around to posting them.

PS Here are some statements I'd like to make. Anyone care to agree/disagree?

1. James on Survivor Heroes v. Villains is completely annoying and should have gotten the boot tonight. I don't remember him being such a jerk on his original season.

2. Salt and Vinegar pringels are quite easily the yummiest things ever and I just ate half a can and now my mouth is all raw and tender.

3. I busted out my flip flops this week but now the arch on my right foot is killing me. I think your feet have to get used to the flat bottom/no support of flip flops and I shouldn't have jumped right in so whole heatedly. I should have done a progressive flip flop wearing time table starting with 1 hour on the first day and increasing by 30 minutes each day.

4. If you are a sister, or have a sister and you truly love them, wouldn't you fly 1,200 miles each way to come to her house and cut and highlight her hair...if by chance you did posses those skills. If I had any skills worth flying 1,200 miles for I would certainly think about considering doing the same thing.

MU vs. OU Gymnastics

Jenna and I went on a date to the MU gymnastics meet last Friday night. We had a GREAT time, except that we had to park a mile away and walk in in the rain, that was crappy, but other than that...super fun.

The OU team was amazing and has many potential 2012 Olympic games gymnasts on their team. It was crowded at all, so Jenna and I sat alone on the FRONT row, literally feet away from the gymnasts. She could be heard throughout the meet telling the girls that their hair was beautiful and she liked their sparkles/pants/shirts/slippers/ribbons/pony tails...etc. I had to tell her to tone it down a bit because I was afraid she would start bothering them too much. She paid attention the entire time and didn't want to leave. The only thing she didn't like was that the announcer was noisy and yelled a lot. She kept asking me, "Why does that man have to talk so loud." She's like me in that she doesn't like crowded/noisy places, but we both did great. lol

BODYSTEP Baby Shower

Now those of you who know me, know that I hate baby showers. I'm sorry to be like that, but it's true. Sure, I go to people's baby showers, but it's usually torture. Tonight however, we had a baby shower that I can get on board with! There are two ladies that are religious BODYSTEPPERS that are literally days away from having their babies and they have been faithful and diligent steppers throughout their pregnancies. A few of the regulars in the class, along with some instructors thought it would be fun to have a BODYSTEP class/baby shower. We did all "baby" or "mommy" themed songs and had baby trivia/prizes between tracks and class members brought pictures of themselves during pregnancy. It was really a lot of fun and we all got a good work out in to boot! This is the third baby for one of the ladies (Nela) and her husband told us that she has NEVER had a baby shower before. Isn't that sad! So we were really grateful to be able to do this for them and we had a great time. (Sorry the pic is so bad!)

My Two Year Old Tweenager

Yesterday-
Me: Brooke, I need you to go get your shoes on so we can go.
Brooke: In a minute mom, I'm texing Grandma!

You can't see from the photo, but she's holding a CD player remote control. She uses it like an iphone/blackberry. She texts on it, sends emails, checks facebook...you name it! Something tells me we're in trouble...