All the Small Things

There is so much to smile about this week.

• Sophie's Room: We are almost finished with the painting of Sophie's room and it is looking sooooo cute. Tomorrow Kati is coming in town to add all the finishing touches and I'm so excited.



• Running: Yesterday Todd asked me if I wanted to go running. Of course I wanted to go....he hasn't run with me since we were dating and I was very excited. So after we got the kids to bed we got our gadgets ready (we both wore our ipods and Todd wore the garmin) and we took off. I made it 2 miles last night and felt great - Todd kept going after I finished. I was so excited when Todd told me we ran our second mile in 9:09 ... woo hoo!



• Breaking Dawn: Holy cow I can't wait until tomorrow night! We are having the ultimate girls night out - dinner and the midnight release party. I ever read Eclipse again this week in preparation - yes I'm obsessed!



• Idaho: We had such a fun time last weekend in Idaho. I love watching Todd race and it was so much fun to see family.

Bangs or No Bangs

I can't decide if I should grow out Claire's bangs or cut them again. What do you think?

Spudman

Last weekend Todd did the Spudman Tri. It was quite the day for him. He was in the 7th and final heat to start (they were supposed to start at 8:00 am). It took me a while to get the kids up and going in the morning and by the time we got there we had to park down at T1 (1 mile away from the start) so rather than try to get all 4 kids to the start in 15 minutes I ran with Sophie down to the start and left the other 3 kids with Grandma Johnson. I ran as fast as I could being out of shape and carrying Sophie in a wrap and got there right when they said "2 minutes" they got down to the 30 second warning and then the racers just sat there for a few minutes before the race official said they were missing a swimmer and it would be a few minutes. Slowly everyone started coming to the side and then they were all out of the water, taking off wetsuits, hitting the porta potties, etc. I found Todd and we waited....it didn't take long before they said the swimmer didn't make it and that they found the body. What a horrible thing to have happen at a race you are in. So they changed the last heat to a Duathalon (bike and run only) and all the racers walked the mile down to their bikes.

Todd said the bike portion was a little crazy since they all started together. It took several miles before they could get up to speed and then it was hard not to ride in packs. Todd had an awesome bike time.



The run was killer since they started so late it was HOT HOT HOT! Todd did a great job on his run especially considering he pulled his hamstring water skiing 2 weeks ago and it was very tight the entire 6 miles!



I couldn't be prouder of him and I can't wait until next year when we can do a race together!!!



The great part about the spudman is that it falls on the same weekend as Todd's grandpa's b-day party so we get to spend the rest of the weekend in Twin Falls with lots of Todd's extended family. While we were there the kids went to the motel swimming pool and Tayson showed off his newly acquired swimming skills....look at him go!

Random Thoughts

I saw this post on Jen's blog and it made me think about what I'm thinking about in my life right now. So I thought I would do a post on my random thoughts.

• Why can't I be patient? It took me 9 months to gain all this weight I can't expect it to fall off in 2 weeks. But I'm frustrated!


• Why has Luke had 4 accidents in the last 2 days????


• Could Sophie be a better baby. Thank goodness she is or I'd be going insane with 4 kids


• I really wish I were in good enough shape to do the Spudman this weekend. It is so hard for me to sit on the sidelines and cheer when I really want to be out there.


• I can't wait for Breaking Dawn to come out next week. I signed up for the midnight party today....am I crazy?


• I'm really nervous about Claire getting tubes in a few weeks. But I am ready for her to not have so many ear infections and be on meds non-stops


• I miss Todd. He has a big deadline at work and has been working non-stop this week. I'm excited for a whole weekend away with him.


• I miss running. I ran a mile a couple of days ago and it felt good but it will take me a while to really be able to run again


• I really miss riding my bike.


• I love having so much of my family live close by. And I really miss the ones who are far away.


• I wish I had more patience with my kids. They don't mean to be so crazy, it's just their ages. Do they know just how much I love them?


• I hate filling our cars up with gas...honestly $100 at the gas station?


• I really need a tan - even though I know it's not good for my skin


• Should I really have to use wrinkle cream and acne cream at the same time...there is something wrong with this picture.


• How did I get so lucky to marry the perfect guy?


• Will Claire ever grow out of this stage?


• Why is Luke so darn clingy? Was it something I did?


• Am I a push over? There are currently 2 kids asleep in my bed (1 is Sophie so she shouldn't really count) and I can hear Claire still playing in her room when I put her to bed 2 hours ago.


• I should be sleeping instead of blogging....but where's the fun in that?

Rocky

This morning Tayson woke up with a completely swollen eye. We think it's from a mosquito bite right above his eye - he has them all over his arms and legs too. But he looks like he's a fighter. I've been calling him Rocky all day and since he has no idea who I'm talking about he keeps getting mad at me for calling him names. I sure hope it's gone before the big party on Saturday.

What to wear....

Honestly - I have nothing to wear. None of my clothes fit me right now and I refuse to wear my maternity clothes any longer! It is just so depressing to have 15 pounds to lose AGAIN.

The thing is this is my 4th baby. You would think I would have some of my "in between" clothes left over from the last 3 kids but I can't seem to find any of them. Why is it that I would throw away all my bigger size pants and keep skinny jeans from who knows how far back? I will never wear those old jeans again...yet I keep them cause they are a smaller size...but the pants I need I got rid of the second I lost weight. UGH!!!

I guess I'll just wear my pajama bottoms and Todd's t-shirts for a few more weeks.

Pictures of Sophie

One day when blog surfing I saw this blog and completely fell in love with the pictures so I decided that I was going to get professional pictures of this baby.

Last week I took Sophie to get her pictures done and I couldn't be happier. Check out her sweet pictures at Fauset Photography - go to Client Proofing and type in sophie to see them. Let me know which ones you think I should order for her nursery.

Flashback Friday

My dad scanned in these old family photo's and we found them on his hard drive this week. Talk about great pictures for a flashback. I love these pictures!!!


1973 - Dad, Mom, George
Sherry, Me, Steve.
It doesn't get better than this...check out that sweet mustache and those sideburns.


1975 - Dad, Mom, George, Steve
Me, Danny, Sherry
My favorite things about this picture are my dad's jacket, my mom's sweet dress, my sweet dress and George's awesome purple shirt with the long collar.
Long live the 70's!!!

Memory Tag - you're all it

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

All the Small Things

I have so much that I'm thankful for this week.

• Sophie, Sophie, Sophie. She is so beautiful and healthy. She is eating good and sleeping good and couldn't be a better baby.


• All the friends and family that have taken such good care of me and my kids since we got home.


• Todd. He has been so great with helping and taking care of me and especially for putting up with me for the last 9 months.


• Not being prego anymore! It's so nice to be able to see my toes and touch my toes. To feel good again. It's amazing how much better I felt the day I got her out of my belly!!!


• Being home. It's fun and a lot of work to be home with the kids. And I've only been on my own 1 day so far!!! Luke was so excited when Todd went to work and I stayed home. It will be a fun 3 months home with the kids.

Sweet Dreams

Tonight while I was holding Sophie she was falling asleep in my arms and she kept smiling in her sleep. She won't smile at me (or anyone else for that matter) and doesn't find anything funny yet so what does she have to smile about? I wonder what she dreams about and what makes her so happy when she is fading off into sleep. Do I still smile when I'm sleeping?

Boys will be boys....

***WARNING*** If you are easily offended please skip this post - it was too funny not to post. Don't judge me :)

Since I have gotten home from the hospital the boys have been completely obsessed with my boobs and the fact that they produce food for Baby Sophie. Luke will just walk up to me and say "show me your boobs mom". Don't worry I don't. If they know I'm in feeding the baby they come in the room and talk about the entire process. Tayson asked me why she has to eat from both sides. He asked if one side was the food and the other was the drink. When I told him no it was all just special milk he asked if I could poke my boob and tell it what to feed Sophie ("like mac-n-cheese or spaghetti" he said). It's so funny to me how their minds work. Hopefully the excitement will wear off soon and I won't have to be entertaining the kids every time I feed Sophie.

Sophie Jane

We picked a name and didn't even have to do rock, paper, scissors this time. We all got sleep last night and are feeling great! I thought I would post some better pictures.

Claire and her new sister Sophie

Our happy family. I can't believe we have 4 kids!!!

It's sad that the best family picture we took was the one with silly faces.


Our Kids


Sophie and Glen - they are just under 3 weeks apart in age and he looks so much bigger already.

It's a Girl!!!

We had our baby this morning at 6:48 am. Today was my goal date because I think the birthday is cool 07/08/08. Things went great with no complications. Labor started around 1:40 in the morning and poor Todd got no sleep last night. He just woke up from a nice long nap on a very comfy hospital pull-out bed.

She was 7 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches long. We haven't decided on a name yet and we will get better pictures posted as soon as we get our cord brought to the hospital.

It feels good to be done!!! Although I know this is only the beginning of the work, but man is it good to not be prego anymore.

Swim Lessons

All 3 kids are in swim lessons right now and they love it. Thank goodness Chelsea was willing to do the mom and tot class with Claire. I don't think I would have been much fun at this point in my pregnancy with her. Hopefully by the end of this week Tayson will be able to swim without his life jacket. He's well on his way and this is the first time in his life Luke hasn't been scared to put his head under the water.


Claire and Chelsea


Luke


Tayson

Happy 4th of July - Flashback

I couldn't find many pictures of old 4th of July celebrations so I thought I would put a few in of the kids from 2006.

Most of my favorite 4th of July memories are of the VP Fair in St. Louis. We had so much fun going downtown and watching the fireworks show and the air show (of course my dad made sure we knew all the planes since they were all from where he worked). They would shoot the fireworks off a barge in the Missouri River and you could lay under the Arch watching them up in the sky. It was amazing and free (unlike the Stadium of Fire here). The last time I went to the Stadium of Fire was the month before Tayson was born. It was over 100 degrees, and I was hot and uncomfortable and now I have no desire to ever go back. Maybe when my kids get older I'll change my tune. We always do a fun family bar-b-que and fireworks in the street now. The kids love it!


Claire's first 4th of July celebration - 2006.


Tayson and Luke lighting sparklers - 2006.

What's in your purse?

Yesterday I took Claire to the doctor's and she has yet another ear infection...tubes here we come! But the best part of this visit was that she brought her purse with her. She doesn't like to go on outings without her purse.

What's in my purse? my wallet, my sunglasses, my phone, keys, pepcid AC, lipstick, lip liner, powder, frequent diner cards, a few bills that need to be paid and a pack of gum.

Nothing exciting...but when I opened Claire's purse at the doctors office yesterday I was amazed at what she had in it.

What's in Claire's purse? A Pirates of the Caribbean compass (happy meal toy from ages ago), 2 star wars galactic heroes, a headband, her sparkly cellphone holder (her plastic cellphone wasn't in her purse), Todd's bike tool, and about 50 goldfish (which she kept reaching in and snacking on).

She makes me laugh so hard with her purse. She fills it up with anything she sees and takes it everywhere she goes. I need to get some pictures of her carrying it around it is just adorable. I love that my little girl is such a girly girl. I really thought with having 2 older brothers she would be more of a tom-boy but she is an absolute princess.

Supersized

During my lunch hour yesterday I went to the mall to pick up a few items. Lately nothing sounds appetizing and my tiny squished up tummy can't take a whole lot so after a yummy pretzel for lunch I thought a strawberry shake sounded good. I ordered the "mini" size shake from Iceberg and holy cow!!! I seriously can't believe they call it mini. It is ridiculous that they expect 1 person to be able to eat a shake that size. Normally I have Kami with me to split the shake so I've never really thought about just how big they are, but I was on my own yesterday. After eating about 1/4 of the shake my craving was completely satisfied .... but I had paid $4 for the shake so I should keep eating and it really was a delicious shake. It's just so wasteful to throw it away. I almost made it through half the shake we I threw in the towel and just chucked it in the trash. I don't get why places don't give you any real size options anymore. We all would have been better off had I paid $2 and gotten 1/4 of the size of the shake. That's all I really wanted in the first place. No wonder we all have portion distortion ... that was no mini shake!