Sick Week

This week has been a very trying week for me. I started the week off getting sick. Good thing is it is all sinus related the bad part I didn't get much running in. I was only able to run on Thursday and only made it about 1 mile before I had to stop from being to winded to go any farther. By Saturday I was feeling better and able to breathe better also. This made it so that I was able to go run with my team mates. This is the highlight of my running week. It is always good to go run with friends that enjoy the same activities as you. It also makes me feel good because I am the one out front leading the charge. It still surprises me that I am the one out front. Here is to another fun filled week of training. GO TEAM!

6 mile run

Yesterday for training we did a 6 mile run. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to run the whole distance and had no clue how long I would be out. To my surprise I was the front runner for about half the distance. I was also able to run the full 6 miles (well minus about 1/4 mile where I stopped for water and it took my legs a little bit to get moving again.) The part that surprised me the most is that I averaged just over a 10 min finishing some where between 60 and 70 min. This surprised me because me first goal for the race was to finish it in the time allotted. With me averaging a 10 min mile I will easily finish in time. I guess I now need to shoot for finishing in under 2 hrs. I have also begun to enjoy the running. I don't enjoy the getting out of bed and getting started but once there I really enjoy it.

Something New

I am training for a half marathon in San Diego on 3 June 2012. I started the training about 3 weeks ago and have been enjoying the wonderful runs that I have been doing. So far I have only ran 3 miles at once. I have a little ways to go since 13.1 miles is the official distance of the race. I have been training with a group called Team in Training. It is put together by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help raise funds to find new treatments to fight the blood borne cancers. I have dedicated my training and race to my uncle Kelly McArthur. He fought a long hard battle against Hodgkins and non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I hope that we can soon find a cure for all forms of cancer so that people don't have to go through what my uncle did. Please vistit my website to make a donation to help fight cancer. I will update every weekend on my progress for the half marathon.

Myrtle Beach 2011

We left our cottage on the first day that there was sunshine at the beach. Chloe said she would stay one more day. Reba said the cottage was our house and we shouldn't go home. Jared and CJ didn't have too much to say. We stopped at a Redbox and got Tangled for the kids to watch on the way home. They were still too excited and loud so our nice 3 hour trip took about 5 hours. After stopping for gas, tire air pressure check, drinks, lunch and play time and dropping off Ken at work we finally made it home around 3:00 yesterday. I sent the kids out to play and unpacked, and cleaned what I didn't finish before we left. It was nice to do that in peace and quiet and it was nice to let the kids get out and run. We had so much fun at the beach even with all the rain. I can't wait to go back again.

I'M A BIG GIRL!!!

We have been working on potty training with Reba and she has resisted peeing in the toilet. Today we had success! She was dry when she got up from nap so we rushed into the bathroom and she sat for a while and went! She loves getting potty treats. We got a couple packages of M&M's that we use as potty treats. I thought we were going to have to change our tactics. I am so glad to start seeing a light at the end of this tunnel. I know, one time doesn't mean total success but now that she has started to do it we should see more successes. Wish us luck!

Myrtle Beach 2011 cont…..

Today got off to a good start. The house was quiet, the kids were sleeping… It was nice… until the alarm went off at 7:30. We forgot to turn it off. Shortly after the alarm all the kids were awake and running rampant through the house. So we got up and started making breakfast. That didn’t go well either. I burnt the bacon so Lisa took over. We had plans to go to the Tanger Outlets to get Lisa some pants and then back for lunch so the kids would get an early nap so that we could spend a lot of time at the pool. Needless to say that didn’t work. It was raining so we had to make other plans.

We decided to let the kids go swimming in the large bathtub. They loved that. When the rain stopped we got ready to go to the outlets. There are two outlets in Myrtle Beach. Of course we went to the one that didn’t have the store we wanted. So we packed up and went to the other one. When we got done there we went out to eat.  The place we chose was close to the outlet we were at but we couldn’t find it. So we drove to the other location closer to our resort and had about the worst experience that we have had eating out. The food was blah, the service…. well I think we had that, and the price was way to much. After lunch we decided to walk it off on the beach and also give the kids a chance to get out and run around. The kids love going to the beach and looking at the ocean. We didn’t get in because the weather is too cold along with the water. Lisa and three of the kids got to see some crazy teenagers go into the water though. I took Reba home because she was too cold. When we got back to the condo Lisa and the kids got ready to go swimming while I stayed home with CJ and let him take a nap.

We are now getting ready to head back home to real life. Not looking forward to that but it has to happen some time. The kids are sleeping, laundry is almost done, and we are watching Castle. If only we could stay a few more days…

Myrtle Beach 2011

We started out on our what has turned out to be our annual vacation to Myrtle Beach. We have been coming here for the last 3 years and enjoy the trip every time. We mainly go to just get away from our regular every day life. This year it is a good thing that we just come to relax because it rained yesterday and has been raining all day today. We did however still go to the pool and enjoyed our time there. Chloe and Jared love to go swim by themselves. They are getting so big. Reba and CJ love the water. Today the water was a little cold so they weren’t to keen about getting in but like most kids once they were in they didn’t want to come out so that we could get lunch ready. After lunch Lisa and the two younger kids to a nap and Chloe, Jared and myself watched a movie and played some games until everyone woke up. The kids must have been tired from the trip down because they took a really long nap. We had dinner and then went out to get dessert. We went to Krispy Kreme for some doughnuts and to let the kids watch them make fresh doughnuts. It was a hit. Chloe wants everyone to know that her stomach hurts.

Chloe is really enjoying this trip down. She gets to have a King size bed to herself. She also has her own TV. She thinks that is the greatest thing. Jared and Reba are sharing a room that has two  beds full size beds in it with a TV for them.

I think every time that we come down here I find things that I would like to have in my house when I can afford to build one. The part I am really enjoying the most this time is the bar/island. It has granite counter tops and is elevated. It just makes things so much easier to deal with especially when you don’t sit down with everyone and eat at the same time. Ya know like most people do with breakfast.

Growing up

Our little family is certainly growing up fast. Chloe is in second grade and doing wonderful. She is amazing at spelling and vocabulary. She is also preparing to be baptized. She is very excited about it. She is a wonderful big sister. She loves to help out with everyone else. Mostly I think she likes to be in charge and feel grown up. We are working on figuring out our roles as mother and daughter. We are so much alike that it is a long process for us that takes a lot of patience that neither of us have most days. We either get along like best friends or worst enemies.

This week she lost another tooth and Mom and Dad forgot to call the tooth fairy. It was a huge deal but the tooth fairy made up for it by writing Chloe a note. That sure is a wonderful tooth fairy!

Jared is doing really well in Kindergarten. He does really well reading but I worry that his teacher doesn't see how far along he is. The books he brings home are not a challenge for him at all. He flies through them so I just try to get him to read harder books at home to me.

Jared has more energy than all the other kids put together. He loves to wrestle with the younger kids and pin them to the ground. Unfortunately they don't like it quite as much. I wish we had enough time, money and vehicles to put him into a sport. I thought school was supposed to get some of their energy out!

Reba is working on potty training right now. She has tried in the past but she hasn't gotten the hang of it quite yet. We think she is ready physically but not mentally. She just doesn't want to go potty. Maybe this time we will be able to stick with it and get it done. I would like her potty trained before she turns three.

Reba loves to play with her little brother. She gets to be the biggest while the others are at school. She loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Zoe from Sesame Street. Elmo is another front runner for her.

CJ is getting so big. He now has 9 teeth. He has stopped having ear infection every few weeks. We are very grateful for that. Sleeping through the night is another milestone that we are very grateful for recently. He has started giving kisses to us too. He says Da-da very clearly. He says Mama too but it doesn't mean Mommy. It means Gramama. Its really cute.

We are very excited about next month. Colby will be 18 months and he will be "legal" to go into nursery on Sundays. That will be a relief for Ken at least. He has been taking Colby with him to classes when he can for a while now.

I have been busy with the same old stuff with a few variations. Taking care of the kids during the day and night with the added chores of the wife and housekeeper always take the spotlight. I also have been working with Chloe's teacher to fulfill my duties as a room parent. We are making a spice garden to auction off at the annual Spring Fling at their school.

I also have my calling at church of Nursery worker. That is a challenge. We now have 3 people in there but there are almost 15 kids and 12 are there regularly. We have the set up to do and the lesson and story time. We also have set up and clean up of snack. Unfortunately we have all had things that have come up and there are rarely three of us there. We have to get helpers each week.

Ken is working hard at Massage Envy. He went back to Utah a few weeks ago for a couple interviews. He got the Massage Envy job in American Fork but we are still waiting to hear from the Corrections job. That one would be the ideal one for us but we are trying not to get our hopes up. He did great on the physical though.

Ken has also been playing on the church basketball team when he is here. He has fun getting his exercise and getting to know some of the other men in the ward. The kids love to go with him. Sometimes to cheer and sometimes to play with the other kids that go to watch their dads.

We are planning our move back to Utah sometime in the next few months. It all depends on Ken's job situation and the sale of my mom's house. It has been on the market for a couple weeks now and we have had one couple come to view it. They seem like they are interested. We are just hoping and praying that they want it and make an offer.

Happy Birthday to CJ!

Today Colby turned one! I can’t believe it has been a year already. For some reason he seems like he should only be about 9 months old. I think that is because he was three months old before our family was whole again. It is almost like life around here didn’t start until Ken came home for good. In this short time he has been such a blessing to us. He is so happy and easy going. I think he takes after Ken. Definitely not me. Even during his 4 or 5 ear infections with trips to ERs and Dr. offices he has been great. It took us a while to realize he had a problem because he was so happy.

But now, here we are. He started walking just over a month ago. He has 4 teeth. He is still sucking away at that little thumb but we are working on it. It is still kinda cute. Tonight we had cake and ice cream with our family. My brother and his family and my dad and Donna came to celebrate with us. Colby was great with his cup cake. He didn’t want to wait for the song to be over to start eating. He got PJ’s and a grinch doll that he loves. He is so adorable I just can’t stand it! We had a lot of fun. Wish you all could have been here with us.

Jared’s first day of school!!!

Today Jared started kindergarten! We took him to school and got him settled in class. He has the same teacher that Chloe had. When we got there he seemed shy and quiet but he was ready to sit at his seat and play with the girl next to him.

Jared was able to ride the bus home with Chloe from school. When they got here, Reba, Colby and I were there waiting. The bus driver said that he didn’t want to sit in the star seat. That is the front seat on the bus. She said he almost threw a fit over it. I can see Jared doing that. Here he is with a stranger and she is telling him to sit in a certain spot. Poor kid probably thought he was in trouble. So she helped him sit in it.

 
Jared seems to really like school and after they got home I really realized how much I enjoyed the peace of them both being in school. Now we are back to the normal sibling bickering. I love school!

Chloe’s Haircut

For those of you who don’t know I have had a hard time letting Chloe get her hair cut. She has never had it cut, just trimmed. I was listening to the radio a while and the Super Nanny was on. They         had different callers calling in and asking questions. One of the callers was a young girl and she asked what she could do to get her mom to let her get her hair cut the way that she wanted to. The mothers response was that she didn’t want her child to have a hair cut that she hated later on in life. The Super Nanny responded with the fact that we all have hair cuts for our youth that we don’t like and wish that we didn’t have but that is just the way we grow up. At the time of the hair cut we like it but styles change and that is why we don’t like those wonderful hair cuts of our youth. After I heard this I began to think of why I didn’t want Chloe’s hair cut. I didn’t want it cut because I like long hair. I felt bad because I wasn’t even worried about what Chloe wanted and it was just what I wanted. After much thought about I talked to Lisa and we decided that Chloe could pick out a couple styles that she liked and then we would choose from them. I think we got a style that looks really cute on her. She looks a lot different now. I think that she looks a lot like Lisa did when she was young.

The first picture is the style that we liked and then the rest are of Chloe getting her hair cut and what she looks like now. Hope you all enjoy.

This is the style that we all thought that would like good. We hope that you all think that the hair cut looks as good as we do.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the final outcome. What a different look this is than the one that she had before. Still just as beautiful though.

Colby Walking

So I am about a week late on getting this posted but hey atleast it's only a week and not longer. Last week at church I was sitting in the hall with CJ and wanted to get a video of him standing without any help. To my surprise he decided that he wanted to walk while I had the camera going. This is not that footage but one that I took with the camera today instead of the one that is on my phone from last week. It is amazing how much more he walks now that he did last week. CJ is starting to stand-up using the furniture or something near him and then just take off walking. He usually doesn't get very far but it is nice to see that the desire is there. Hope you all enjoy.

Test Page

I am trying out a blog writer and seeing what can and can’t be done with it. This a our wonderful boy and his favorite thing to eat. We thought that we needed to share this with all.

                     

The link below is to my facebook account. It is a video of CJ walking with the assistance of a walker. I thought that you all would like to see that.  

CJ Walking

Santee Part one

For those of you who know us (or have read this blog at all), know that we stink at taking pictures. Even if we do take pictures we still stink at putting them on the blog. Luckily we went on vacation with people who aren't as bad as we are and they were willing to share their pics with us. We had forgotten to even bring a camera. (Are you REALLY surprised????)

We have already said that we went down to Santee with the Jones family. Now we can show you what a good time we all had. This montage is just for Day 2 of our vacation. Day 1 was spent driving, getting groceries, unpacking and just being happy to be together again. No pictures of that. Sorry. Not even the Jones clan is perfect. Close but not there yet.

So... On day 2 we played at the pool, took a walk down to the boat dock in front of the condo and then we let the kids have another swim time in the big tub in the condo. They had so much fun. After the bath tub swim we decided to be really nice and let them stay up and watch a movie and have popcorn. We were hoping that by letting them stay up late they would sleep in late. Have you met my children. They don't let us sleep in. It was worth a shot though.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A week of Fun in the Sun

This last week was one of fun and enjoyment. For those that don’t know we have a time share and have used it over the last 5 years and have enjoyed it a lot. The thing that I wanted to change with it is that we always went to one or two different spots when we have about 200 places that we could use it at. So about 5 months ago we where talking to some wonderful friends and decided that we wanted to go to some place new and use the time share how it was meant to be used. After much thought and looking we decided to go to Santee, SC. This little town sits right next to Lake Marion.

No there is not a lot to do there but when you are with friends do you really need a lot to do to have fun? We didn’t think so either. We left Friday the 16th of July and headed to our humble abode. Not so humble since it was a 3 bedroom condo and looked ritzy. The only day that didn’t see any water/pool time was the travel day. We where either in the pool, on the lake, or at the beach. Yes, the beach did come in to play because we had to travel to Charleston to do some shopping at the outlets there (Great deals! $1.99 for shirts and stuff at The Children’s Place) and then we decided to add the beach in as well.

We got to the beach at the perfect time. We got there around 5pm when everyone was leaving. It was great not to have to worry about the kids on a busy beach with lots of people. We just let them run around and do what they wanted to do. We were there for about 2 hours and then went off to find a spot for dinner. The locals told us to try out the local crap shack. (Or crab shack if you like seafood.) So we did. After a very long wait an hour and a half or so, with tired and hungry kids we finally got to sit down and order up. The food was ok but not worth the wait.

I am very sad that the time had to end. We love spending time with the Jones clan. I hope that we end up near them so that we can spend more time together. They are the next best thing to family. Looking forward to another trip to a not so far location with them again.

Rick has a great idea to build a compound and we would share the backyard. We think we should meet in the middle and build it in Ashville NC. We are all for it. If only we could convince our families to all move close by…….. (hint, hint)

Pride

I know everyone wants pictures but I am not good at that(in case you haven't noticed). I do, however, want to tell you all how proud I am of my family. Ken is now back home and we are all adjusting pretty well. Ken started his new job at Massage Envy yesterday. He has been offered jobs at every place that he has interviewed at. Now maybe he will believe that he is as good as I say he is. Before they went to bed, both Chloe and Jared asked me separately when Daddy was coming home. I kind of expected this. It was so sad though. I feel bad that they are scared that he will leave and be gone for so long again. This is just another phase in the adjustment process.

Chloe gave her first talk in Primary Sunday. She and I worked on it together. We prayed before we started and we came up with the same things to say. It was a great experience. Jared's teacher told me that he kept telling him "That's my sister!" while she was giving the talk. They also got up to sing in sacrament since it was Mother's Day.

Jared is preparing to start kindergarten in the fall. He has had his physical and shots and keeps telling people that he will start school soon. He goes to preschool twice a week. He has quite a few good friends now. He loves to go on playdates.

Reba is getting really good at signing. We are all learning with her. For those of you that have not talked to us in a while, she can hear. We got her a sign language book and she was always bringing it to us to read so for her birthday we got her some more. We all have fun with it. I can't believe she is 2!

Colby is sitting up and getting up on his hands and knees now. Pretty soon he will be crawling (unless he starts walking first). He loves to stand up. He is so smiley. He laughs at everything. His favorite thing to play with is his brother. Jared likes to roll all over the floor with him. I hope they will continue to be best friends as they grow.

I have been busy getting things in order for everyone. I am trying to keep the schedule that we had before Ken came home and still let Ken be a part of it. There are chores and homework, playtime, friends, activities, my friends, etc. Life, you know?

Guy and Marilyn came out in April. While they were here we remodled 2 bathrooms, built a porch, painted the front room and went for a trip to the Outer Banks. We had a lot of fun and did a lot of work. I am so grateful to them for coming to help us. There is still a lot of finishing up to do but we have great looking bathrooms, a wonderful porch, and a pretty front room.

And now... back to our regularly crazy life. Hope you all are doing well.

Separation

I just wanted to express my feelings on this subject. I think that separation sucks. I hate to be separated from those that I love for a short period of time let alone for months on end. I don't know why people choose to be away from their families. I understand that at times it is good and refreshing to the relationship but to leave them behind for extended periods of time is just crazy. I think that this is the worst thing that I have had to deal with.

With Christmas just around the corner and Thanksgiving just past I would like to say "Thank you" to all my family for the love and support that they have shown and expressed to my family in NC and to me Iraq. It makes this difficult time a little bit easier to handle. I have never felt this alone around so many people before. I just want to be around family and feel in their love. For all those that have asked this is what I want for Christmas. Unfortunately I will not get what I want this year. I will have to wait a little longer for my Christmas present.

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year. May God be with all of you and your families.

Cute Colby

An Update. YEA!!!!

While I am here listening to the BYU football game I decided that I had better update the blog since it has been so long since the last update. So here it goes.

I am currently home for two week leave from a year deployment to Iraq. This has been a very trying yet uplifting time. I say trying because it is hard to be away from family and friends for such a long period with nothing but a phone call and emails to keep updated (at least we have these). I also say uplifting because it has put a new resolve into me to live my life for God and family. I have made the decision that when my current obligation is over with the guard I am done. I know I have put many years in and have many great experiences with the men and women that I have served with but I now want to spend time with my family and be with them growing up and not just a figure that they talk to and see every now and then. If things work out I will rejoin the guard later in life and get my retirement out of it. I have just learned that my priorities have changed. WOW! How things change in life when we think that we have everything figured out.

Lisa and the kids have been enjoying the company of Gramama while they have been here in NC and look forward to the remaining time that is left before I get to join them. We really don't have anything planned for after I get home on what we are going to do or where we are going to live. Again with life changing by the minute who knows what will happen. We thought that we had things planned but then due to the economy our plan fell through when an acquaintance decided not to buy a tanning salon that had a room that I would have been able to do massage therapy in. I was kinda bummed about it but life goes on and nothing was set in stone so it is easy for us to change and readjust.

Anyway I will close for now and hopefully get some pictures but up before I head back to the "Sand Box" for the final leg on the deployment and wait to see what life brings our way. Have fun and enjoy all.

Cute picture

If you want to see an adorable picture of Reba go to my mom's blog. Follow the link from this page to Gramama's blog. Enjoy.