This and That

We partcipated in Bible Across America this morning! see http://www.bibleacrossamerica.com/home.php
Our choices were Chronicles, Mark or John. We both chose Mark- we finished up Chapter 5. Rick got 42 and I got 43.

Aidan finally wears his Elmo slippers!

My dad's 60th Birthday!

This is the best cereal ever!

I had high hopes of running 20 miles last week but settled for 15. I told Rick we should do a 6 mile run tomorrow and he just cracked up like I was from Mars or actually Venus right? Men are from Mars? We are going to family swim tonight. Abby is struggling a bit in this new class- and I think the teacher has a lot do with it. For the FIRST time ever she said she didn't want to go last week :-(

Can anyone out there recommend a house painter?? We need our trim re-painted and would like referrals.

Introducing...Stella

Aidan's love interest.

Potty Training 101 By Aidan

seriously... I am amazed daily. Having a boy is like nothing I've ever known- he is constantly full of surprises. What a blessing he is.

Abby before school today

Wrist

looking good!!! feels even better!! My range of motion is getting better although it still feels like someone is squeezing my wrist. I cannot put pressure on it- like doing a push up (yes believe it or not I do push ups- quit laughing).

Thank you God...

The kids attend a private Christian school and before meals they have a meal prayer with sign language:
Thank you God, for this food, for this food, many many blessings, many many blessings, Amen.
Tonight I start singing it to see how much Aidan knows because he's been really into singing lately. He sings, Thank you God, for this spoon, for this spoon.... it just cracks me up.
And another milestone he reached... asking why. why. why. Abby didn't do this until around three so I was quite surprised when he kept dropping that on me this evening.
What a huge difference being able to run again is for my mental state. I am blessed.

Wednesday Happenings

Stitches are out and oh mama did it hurt. YEOW. Steri strips on now until they fall off. 4 week check in February. I don't know if I mentioned but I had the thing drained twice and it came back. They said that happens 50% of the time. With surgery it comes back 30%. When I woke up from surgery, my dr says, "you know they can come back." Today the lady who took out my stitches walks in and says, "you know they can come back." Ok people. I get it. Have some faith.
I made The Best Lasagna this morning (really it's called that). So all I had to do was pop it in the oven this afternoon and get on the treadmill after TWO WEEKS.
My mom called around 4pm and offered to take us out to dinner- um... no brainer. The kids love seeing Grammy (as do we). I'm not one to turn down a free meal, and have a night off from cooking (well it gets me out of cooking tomorrow night since dinner is already made). And eating out is a BIG deal after you have kids (little kids) because you RARELY do it. I love to cook but I also like not having to cook.
Treadmill didn't happen and I KNOW that will help me out of my gloominess.
oh and we got free lattes at Starbucks today :-) Yes, I did reduce the amount of time I go there- basically it's just Sundays and every other Wednesday. Except when gift cards are involved.

I love him...

he is just the best husband and most amazing father. So selfless, has the patience of a turtle and just TAKES CARE OF US. I know he was a little bent out of shape, me having another surgery, and not being able to 'run the house' and then I got that stomach bug and he was inconvenienced by missing work to care for the children. But to be quite honest, I truly relish that time that I could just be off. down. lazy. He just steps up and boy has he. He makes a GREAT house husband. Do you know that every Tuesday is just him and Aidan- all day. For for the past 3 weeks they have gone to Home Depot and McDonald's. The kid is in daddy heaven and wants nothing to do with me when I get home.

side note- Abby does NOT like hot chocolate. see previous post.

So I have you tell y'all that I haven't felt like blogging. I've been in a blue mood for quite some time and it's to the point where it's really consuming me and I couldn't shake it. There are changes at my work- good changes- but nonetheless there have been ongoing issues that have me just...disheartened- even in the midst of being told where they want to place me (which is a really great place by the way) and I question myself- thinking I should be happy about this but why am I not? I'm not going to go into all the long, boring, drawn out details but I came home in tears Monday- I needed a good cry. So much that it carried over into today. I've just been questioning where my heart is at. I am struggling with some real conflicting emotions that I wake up at 2am consumed by it. What do I want to do when I grow up mid life crisis type thing... and I cannot quiet the noise in my head to hear a reply. So I'm waiting and praying for guidance. I tell you this, I am TRULY blessed to have a job right now. I think of all these folks around us getting laid off...
I get my stitches out tomorrow. CAN'T WAIT... and can't wait to get back to running. Aidan calls my incision a bug because it looks like a centipede. Our little miss Abby is now sick with a fever/cold :-(

What an amazing historical day...

Firsts

Remember when Rick took it upon himself to take the kids to visit the ice cream truck man for their VERY FIRST TIME without me? How could you forget- they probably had such looks of wonder and awe over such a truck that is all souped up and plays music let alone carries the mother load of ice cream goodies??? I could probably still shed tears if I think about it too long. Well… it’s only natural then that I, her mother, experience her FIRST Starbucks (hot chocolate). Her first hot chocolate ever in fact.
He probably won’t cry over it or be upset, I’ll just get that look. You know, THAT look. The one that says, you’re crazy woman. Or the I cannot believe I am legally bound to you look.
But… he might feel a tiny bit bad knowing that the ice cream truck visit was way cooler than Starbucks. Oh here we go again… more tears. How can you possibly take away a mother’s FIRST ice cream truck visit??? And it’s not like I can take them this summer and pretend like it didn’t happen- Abby remembers everything- from the time of birth. Just ask her.
So… here she is- her FIRST Starbucks, trying to pretend it’s just as great as ice cream.

My Friday

has been spent in bed. In fact I have been laying down or hugging the toilet since 5pm yesterday. (and no I'm not pregnant. I know what you are thinking- with the ice cream cake and all). Now my husband just called to inform me that the verizon man is going to be here in 20 minutes which forced me up out of my sick bed to put on something decent and cover my matted hair with a hat.

new color that is going up

My mom changed my cast and dressing



Our jingle bell race photos at the link below:
http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=586&bibnumber=909

Nada?

I don't really have much to say for you faithful readers. So how about a ramble? I've been off pain meds for 2 days now and contemplated taking one this afternoon- after I took the brace off for a bit which just left the soft cast and ace bandage, I somehow smacked it- hard. Makes you cringe doesn't it? ohhhhh I still get the shivers.
Since I am unable to run I have been eating um... bad things. Like cold stone ice cream cake. You would think I was pregnant asking my husband to go get me a chocolate cake at 8pm on a Monday night. He must have thought it was a great idea because he was outta here to get one. (His aversion to the treadmill is back)
Let's see what else...My mom brought over a replacement soft cast and bandaging so I can attempt to change the dressing tomorrow. I tell you the ONE thing I am looking forward to- is washing my hand- my WHOLE hand. not just the fingers. Gross isn't it?I still owe you a picture of the new color that is going in our bedroom and the kids started swimming again this week.
and I have mentioned lately how GREAT God is... Rick had to take two weeks off during Christmas shut down- he had enough time to cover it. Q1 they have requested another week- which he still has it covered but there was some mis-communication and they were just told they had to take 2 weeks. We can't exactly afford for him to take a week unpaid. It ended up only being one week though. God meets our needs and we continue to praise HIM.
Before I forget- Ashley started her Master's program this week. If you could just keep her in your thoughts as she continues to work full time and is immersed into an intense program.
I could go on and on but I am going to attempt to bathe the kids for the first time on my own with one hand.

I'm Home!!!

What an ordeal yesterday was. I ate cereal and toast at 9:30pm Thursday night- hoping that would help since I couldn't eat on Friday. My surgery was scheduled for 2:30pm. I was mighty hungry and wanting a cheeseburger of all things. We got to the surgery center at 1 pm. 2:30 came and went. 3:30 came and went. 4pm came and went- and by this time Rick had to leave to pick up the kids. 4:30 came and went. 5pm they said the case before me was supposed to be a realtively 'short case' but obviously not. People started going home!! At 5:30 they came in and said they were closing up the person in the O/R and they would check with my surgeon because if they didn't start soon they would have to send me home. My surgeon finally came in and quickly marked up my wrist where he would cut and I was wheeled back at 5:45.
Thank you to Tera who was there since 2pm and filled my prescriptions, helped me dress, held my gingerale so I could drink and brought me home. I'm so glad it's over!!
Here is what they took out. It's wrapped up for the next 2 weeks so I can't get any 'after' photos yet.

Wednesday

The life of a 2yr old...

He started without me. I was in the kitchen getting meals ready for the next few days (he's a bit crabby today too)

Vaccine reaction

Triple salchow or triple lutz with a double loop

18 days, vaccines, projects, surgery

That's what we have been up to. Rick's first day back at work is Thursday after 18 days off. He will work one day and then is home for 5 more days. He had to take 2 more for my surgery.

Speaking of- my surgery is Friday. I am having a fluid filled sac removed from the joint/tendon in my wrist. I welcome any prayers for no complications, that I wake up!! Also that the dr doesn't hit my radial artery. I'm starting to get nervous as it gets closer.

The kids had their well child visists today. Little peanuts that they are... Abby is 25% for weight and both kids are 35% for height. Aidan is catching up to his sister in weight, he is 60% for weight. Abby was due for FOUR vaccines between now and age 6 or kindergarten. They gave us the choice of not doing them and doing them next year, splitting them up or doing them all. I let Abby decide and she wanted them ALL done today. That's my girl... get it over with.

The picture is our bedroom as it looks now. We are starting a new project (even though the garage painting project still isn't finished). For those of you who have been to our house, we are moving the office into the retreat area of our bedroom, we are moving the downstairs bedroom to where the office was and making the downstairs room into a large playroom...and painting them all too.

The Big Guy

Celebrating Five Years of Marriage Today

It doesn’t matter where you go in life, what you do ….. it’s who you have beside you.

Quote of the Day

"I love you fifty bucks because it takes forever to count that high"
- Abby Jenkins