Welcoming...

Baby Sienna 3/31/10


Baby Hannah 3/19/10

The two newest nieces in my family. It's about time the girls are making a comeback!

7 months old!

finally sitting by herself, just this week. good job Alaina!





I guess I forgot to post her 6 month stats. So here they are:

16.5 lbs (50%)
28" (97%)
45cm head (97%)

ramblings

Two weeks ago I exercised 6 out of 7 days. Last week I took the entire week off due to the recommendation of my new Chiropractor. Well. Let me rephrase, he didn't say to do nothing, just told me not to run. About a month ago I did something to my lower back. I also was having a lot of trouble with my left knee, which the more I think about it, I am realizing it is more of a hamstring issue, rather than a knee issue. For some reason that makes me feel better. Anyway, I thought that maybe I should rest my body in an effort to heal. Visiting the chiropractor has helped. Tomorrow I am going to go in for a deep tissue massage. Excited and a little nervous, but I hope it helps my back, which apparently is a muscle issue.

Last night I met up with Justin at the police station so we could work out together at their facility (us wives have special privileges of using their really nice, new equipment). Next Saturday, the 10th, Justin and I are doing the Rage in the Sage Duathlon and it is time to get going again. It gets really, really windy here in the springtime and I wanted to try and run on the treadmill, out of the wind. Wow! I haven't run on a treadmill in a long, long time. I could tell how much of a difference it made on my body. In that it was so much easier on my joints. I think I want one. But. It's back to the pavement today...eventually. The thing that is bad about taking a week off, it really sets you back. GRR.

Katelyn's Public Speaking

This January Katelyn got to start attending Primary at church. Primary is for children ages 3 to 11 and means no more nursery, no more snack, no more play-doh...that sort of thing. Her class is called Sunbeams. Every week a child is assigned to say the prayer, give a talk (a short message on a chosen subject), or recite the monthly scripture and theme. Katelyn got assigned to give the scripture and theme. This month's theme is: God Speaks Through Prophets and the scripture is Luke 1:70. When she was given the assignment last week she was very excited about it. We practiced saying the words during the week and Justin and I were both able to be there for the big moment. I didn't know for sure how it was going to go. Would she freeze when she got up there? (They have a little podium with a microphone to speak into) Would she start crying? Justin held Alaina a watched from the back as I went up to help Katelyn. She was so stinkin cute! She got up, adjusted the microphone (just like the grown-ups) and said "alright." For a second I thought she was just going to start talking about whatever came to her mind, but she waited for me and repeated the words as I whispered them in her ear. She did such a good job and we were very proud of her for being brave. Talking in front of a large crowd can be scary. I was relieved to see that she didn't follow in my childhood footsteps and refuse to speak or start crying like a baby.

what's been up?

Friday I had some of my sisters over for a "craft night". We all worked on some of those wood letters and stayed up until after 2am just to get everyone's done. I was so tired the next day I felt sick.


Britany and Madeline


Britany, Julia, Crystyne


Some more bath time fun. I like Alaina's squishy cheeks in this one.


Playing soccer in the back yard


"hi-yah!"


She actually has a pretty good kick. You know I am related to Mia Hamm, (true story) maybe there are some soccer genes in the family after all.





Working on crawling skills

working on being a cheeseball


Working on being cute

today

I am proud to say I exercised 6 out of 7 days this week. I wasn't planning on doing anything today, but I think the girls and I were getting a little stir crazy and since it was such a nice day I thought we better go for a walk. I changed into workout clothes just in case I was inspired to do any jogging. I was. Still tough to run with a double stroller and two kids, but it was a bit better this time. All I have to say is that there are benefits to running through a neighborhood where lots of homes are being built. Two words. Porta-potty. And I was just desperate enough to use one. To my surprise, it was the best smelling one I have ever been in. Awwww, sweet relief!

preschool

In case anyone was wondering or cared, (probably not) we decided to enroll Katelyn in preschool after all. I took her down to the preschool today to check it out and do the registration. To see the delight in her face was proof enough that we did the right thing. She is beside herself with excitement and was ready to start today! It is only 2 days a week for 2.5 hours. There is also another little girl who she knows from church that will be in her class and I think that will help her a lot as well. The name of the Preschool is Young Years and it is only a few minutes from our house. It is at a Lutheran church and therefore is a "Christian" preschool. They will have prayer and a devotional at the end of each class, will talk about Bible stories and teach principles such as kindness and the like. Once a month will go up into the chapel for some songs, etc. I am OK with the fact that it is not our church. At this stage of life, I don't see how it will be any problem. We may have to talk about certain things at times, such as the cross, but I'm not worried.

cRaFtY

CRAFTIN' TIME!



I am in love with these wood block letter crafts!



I order the letters from a local lady. Her website is: www.ransom-made.com

Really fun and really easy!

Housekeeping

For a while now I have been hitting myself over the head trying to figure out how I can help out with our finances without having to work "outside" the home. I haven't come up with much. I try to sell unwanted things on eBay and have made a little cash that way, but it isn't very consistent. So, I decided that I could clean houses. I am not too proud to scrub someone Else's home if they are willing to pay me. This also allows for flexibility, meaning that I can leave the girls with Justin and go clean on his days off. No nasty daycare, no nasty daycare fees, etc. So, I think this is a great idea, but I have only found two people who want me to come clean for them, once a month. I need more work!

This is an effort to put the word out there. I live in the tri-cities of WA (I know, I am risking the life of myself and my family by saying that, right?) If you are in need of a housekeeper or know of someone who is looking for one, PLEASE pass my name along! I will do a great job!

disappointment

I think that disappointment is one of the worst emotions you can ever feel. It probably isn't even the right word to describe what I feel. What is the feeling....? When something bad has happened and you feel like it could have been prevented by one small choice. If you could only turn back the clock a little, this horrible thing wouldn't have happened. I am so sad. I had the feeling that maybe we shouldn't go out to eat. Stay home and save the money. Man, I wish we had. Now, not only did we pay money to go out to eat, but may have to pay money to have the Jeep fixed and get Justin a new bike. His bike was not cheap. And it's not like there is always extra money for these kind of accidents. Here's hoping there might be some insurance compensation. I don't feel very hopeful though. It's the kind of thing that feels like it kind of crushes you.
*written last night

OK. So here's the story. Britany (my sister who lives with us) suggested we go out to eat. I thought about it and was pretty worn out and didn't feel like cooking, so I said ok. Justin had ridden (or is it rode???) his bike to work yesterday and was working a little late. I said that we should all just get in the car and we'd see him on the way since we were going the same direction that he rides home. I thought, we'll just pull him over and throw his bike on the bike rack. Super! We caught him, and went out to enjoy a yummy Mexican dinner as a family. On the way home we are talking and laughing and having a good time. We pull in to the driveway (Justin was driving) and click our handy garage door opener to pull into the garage. CRUNCH!!!!! OH. CRAP!!! I felt like I just got punched in the gut. Here's the assessment of damages.

A chunk of rain gutter got busted off...about the width of some bicycle handlebars. <$30
The bike: A total loss. Confirmed by guy at bike shop. $800.00
The car: roof rack ripped out of roof of car and bent up pretty good. Some scratches, dents, etc. to the body of car= $3,182.23 + $500.00 for new Yakima roof rack
Bike Light: $99.00
Bike computer: $50.00
Pain and Suffering=$ (just kidding)





Thankfully insurance will come through for the heaviest of the damages, but it won't help with replacing his bike. May you all learn a lesson from us.

The Creation

Yesterday in Relief Society (the Women's Meeting at church) the lesson was on The Creation. The question was asked, "what are some of the things that God has created that show His love for us?" I said, my daughters. Every time I look into their beautiful faces I can see the love that God has for me. I feel so blessed to have been given two such wonderful little girls. Katelyn is the sweetest big sister and Alaina just loves her. Katelyn has never once been mean to or acted out towards Alaina. I'm sure their day will come, but I hope they will grow up to be great friends. Before Alaina was born I remember feeling concerned that I needed to make sure Katelyn would never feel like her place had been taken. In fact, after I had given birth, I had not cried until Katelyn came to the hospital the next day. It was a strange emotion. I was just so concerned for Katelyn and not once has she acted resentful of having a little sister. I am proud of the kind little girl Katelyn is. She loves to play with friends and is so sweet towards others. I hope this is a quality she will always possess. Alaina continues to bring joy and laughter to our home each day. She loves to talk to us and gives us the biggest grins. We love that Alaina smiles with her eyes.




~My beautiful girls~

5K

It was a beautiful day for the run down along the river. Just a bit of a breeze. Not enough to knock you over, but just enough to keep you cool. Though not enough to keep me from turning purple. Don't worry, I'm OK. I only look like I am going to have a heart attack. I borrowed my sister's i Pod and it was the first time I had run with music. I really think it helped distract me.

This first picture is us pretty close to the end. I admit, I was fading. I was taking off my jacket to give to Justin who was taking the pictures.


Here we are approaching the final ascent to the finish. I was quite tired, but I tried to run as fast as I could to the finish (farther up the hill).


This is my beautiful friend Jodee, who was gracious enough to run by my side the whole time even though I secretly know she could have left me in the dust at any time.


This guy's got TEAM SPIRIT! Hope the wind doesn't catch those shorts at the wrong angle.




Even this dog got into the spirit of things. What is this costume anyway?


After the race, Katelyn wanted to run with me. Then she got a side ache. What a cutie!


Yay! The best cheerleaders EVER! I first saw Justin and the girls just before the halfway point. It was such a nice surprise because I wasn't expecting to see them until the end. I sure love these guys :)


I DID IT! I finished in 38:02 Not too bad for this out of shape mama. Bring on the next race!

Alaina has been very whiny the past couple of days and I have been having a hard time getting things done. What could take me a couple of hours might take me all day with having to tend to her so often. What's worse is that today she just would NOT take a nap. She was up at 6am and didn't take a nap until 1pm. Good grief! I really am hoping that there is a tooth coming or something because this behavior needs to stop. I'm teasing, again. Good thing she is so cute and that I am crazy about her.


Bumbo to the rescue. This kept her satisfied for a few minutes.



She is trying so hard to crawl. I saw her get up on her knees today and sort of lunge forward. Then she did a face plant. I bet she will be crawling by the end of the month.


Alaina gets at least 1,000 or more smooches every day. I just can't help myself!

Argentine Dinner

Well, it was supposed to be anyway. This week the youth at church did a "Missionary for a Day" activity. We (ok, I) signed us up to host two of them. Since Justin went to Argentina on his mission, we were going to serve a real authentic Argentine meal. Justin worked all day so I got to do all the cooking. There happens to be a family at church that is from Argentina so I was able to speak with her (Virginia) about some ideas for food. I knew we were going to make Empanadas, but I wanted to stay away from beef. She told me about Humitas, so here you have Empanadas de Humita (pronounced: oo-meet-ah). The Empanada is filled with a white sauce that has onion, cheese and corn in it. It wasn't too bad. I served it with rice and tried to copy a salad that I saw this family bring to a Christmas dinner we were at. Just tomatoes, cucumber and cheese chunks with some seasonings. All in all, it was an alright meal. Probably not my shining moment, but that's ok.

After dinner the boys shared a nice message about God. They did a great job. They are 12 and 16 years old. They were so quiet! I told Justin you could hear the crickets chirping and was nudging him to talk. Boy did he ever! He talked and talked and talked...(just teasin' hunny). Tiring day of running around and trying to get things ready, but it ended on a great note.

Running, etc.

I feel like I am getting stronger every time I run. Yesterday I ran 2 miles with a friend who is doing the 5K with me. I think her cardio system is in much better shape than mine because she was talking to me the whole time and I felt like I could barely huff and puff out an answer. After the 2 miles I ran back to another friends place where my girls were. I tried to do some sprints. It was a long, very gradual uphill jog. So I would give myself a marker to get to and sprint, then catch my breath, then do it again all the way til I got to her house. I'm excited for the 'race' on Saturday.

What I don't understand is why my pants are feeling so tight around the waist. I have been exercising a LOT more and eating the same or even less than I had been. What's the deal???? I think I still look pregnant too. I feel like I will never get rid of the belly fat and genetics don't help in that area either. It's very discouraging sometimes.

Right now Alaina is wide awake and wasn't interested in her bottle. UGH! I was hoping to get a little more sleep in. Lately she has been digressing to sleeping just about as good as a newborn (not good at all). She has also taken to sleeping on her tummy. It's kind of cute and makes me feel like she's getting to be a "big girl" almost. Hm. I think I smell a stinky. Maybe that's why she wasn't hungry. Both of my girls won't eat if that have to poo.

Running

With only 5 days left until the 5k on Saturday, I decided I had better get out and try to do a 3 mile route last night. I really was not feeling very motivated to go for a run. I felt sleepy. I asked Justin to come with me though and it made me feel better to have a buddy along. He was nice enough to stay with me even though for every 1 of his steps I have to take 4 or 5. I figured out that it takes me about 1.5 miles to get into a rhythm - or at least for my lungs to get regulated. I wonder if it is a good idea to continue running if it hurts parts of your body. My knees bother me a lot when I am done. Going up and down stairs is ridiculous. I look like an old woman. And my feet were very sore. Kinda felt like my toes were burning. Should I keep running? Will these things go away?

spring is coming! spring is coming!

We went over to Beaver Bark today to look at the fruit trees. Come to find out they won't get their fruit trees in until April or May. So, we decided to pick up some flowers to plant in our big wine barrel, which is currently housing a -most likely dead- little tree. So long little tree, back to the earth with you. I don't know very much about plants or flowers or trees, but I really love flowers. I want to add some color to our yard besides the herd of rose bushes out back (I'm sorry to offend any of you rose bush lovers). I like roses...in a vase, I have decided. I do not however, need 10 bushes in the yard. I'd like to take all the roses out of the back rock garden area and replace them with lots of color and texture, different heights and -most importantly- less painful plants and flowers. If anyone wants any of our rose bushes (and knows how to get them out of the ground without killing them) please let me know and I will be happy to give them to you. Hm. Hope Justin doesn't mind.



OK. I went back and found this picture of our rose garden. I guess it's not that bad. Man our grass was GREEN! It looks sooo pretty. I hope we can get it that green again this year. (this picture was taken right when we moved into our house at the end of May. Love this backyard! I am so anxious for Spring to be here in its full splendor!

Alaina got to play with a friend on her 6 month birthday. These girls are about 5 months apart.



For some reason the diaper wipes package is one of her most favorite things to play with.

lesson in dexterity

Alaina was getting a little cranky after her dinner so while I was trying to clean up I thought I'd give her some of these little puffs to play with. She had so much fun chasing them around the tray and even managed to get a couple of them in her mouth. She only gagged once. It's probably a little bit early for these, but at least it entertained her enough to let me finish what I was doing.



I love watching babies try to pick things up with their little fingers. So cute.



She shoots, she scores!

see the fierce concentration?

There are two reasons I have a towel on the back of the highchair. 1. I often feed her in just her diaper because she is so messy, so I put it there so the plastic won't be so cold on her. 2. She gets really distracted by the animal characters that are on the plastic and it's very difficult to get her to eat. Kinda funny.



I think this is my favorite one. She's trying so hard to get it in her mouth.

PmS...TUFF

Does anyone else get freakishly tired before their period?

6 months!

Has it really been six months already? Wow. The time has passed much too fast. Alaina at six months is a lot of fun. This is one of my most favorite stages. She has been eating 'food' for a month now. She loves both rice and oatmeal cereals, carrots, sweet potatoes, she does ok with the greens mixed in with her orange favorites, she loves applesauce, pears, bananas, likes prunes and squash, and oddly still makes a funny face whenever I give her peaches. Maybe they are a little tart, I don't know.




Alaina was supposed to have her 6 month check up yesterday, but we postponed it for a week because she has had a cold. I did take her in though, just to have her checked out and make sure she didn't have anything that we need to worry about. She weighed in at 15.2 pounds. We'll get the stats next week. She is growing (obviously) a lot and getting stronger all the time. She is in a constant state of rolling over. Se goes both ways and scoots around all over the place. I don't think it will be too much longer before she figures out how to crawl.



She likes to flip people off, including the doctor yesterday. Justin taught her that. (hahahaha, just kidding!) She also gave herself a nice scratch on the right cheek.



She still doesn't sit up on her own. Just after I snapped this picture she fell backwards.

People still mostly say "she looks just like Katelyn!" Honestly, I don't think so. I mean, you can tell they are sisters, but they look very different to me. I think they have the same face shape and round cheeks and pointy little chin. Katelyn on the right in the black and white picture at 6 months old.

Not only do people say that she looks just like Katelyn, but that she looks like Justin. Well, the other day someone said she looks like me. I have gotten used to hearing EVERYONE say how much Katelyn looks like Justin, so it's not that big of a deal to me to hear it again with Alaina. Apparently he makes a pretty cute girl. BUT. Here are a few of my baby pictures. I think there are more similarities than people first see. Personally, I am ok with them looking more like their dad.

Me at about 5 months

Me at one month

Me at two months



Here are a couple of Justin. There are no dates on the back so I don't know for sure how old he is. Yep, that's him screaming in the first picture. Isn't he a cutie pie?