St. George Marathon

I can't believe the marathon has come and gone.  To be honest, I've been dreading it all summer.  I didn't train the way I should have and I wasn't confident in my ability to have a good race.  But we saddled up last weekend and drove down to stay with Jake and Annie for the weekend.

I got about 3 hours (a generous estimate) of sleep the night before the race.  Thank goodness it doesn't really matter how much sleep you get the night before, but rather the few days leading up to the race.

I felt really good during the race and wasn't surprised with any weird pains or cramps even at mile 20.  Once I looked at my watch at mile 22, I knew I was going to get a PR.

I waited at the finish line for a while thinking Jon and the kids would be there momentarily to claim their runner.  I ended up using a nice man's cell phone to call Jon and he had no idea I had finished.  He was moving spectator positions just as I went by!  Oh well, the guy pushing a wheelchair in front of me produced wild cheering from the crowd, which I conveniently used to propel myself to the finish.

Anyway, I'm thrilled with how I did and contrary to what I was saying before the race, I'm looking for more marathons in the near future.

We had a great time with Jake and Annie and the girls.  We left exhausted and enjoyed the rest of the weekend listening to General Conference and snuggling in sweats and blankets.

Post-race snow cones

 

The Ball Pit: The source of much fun

 

Story Time

Shop 'til you drop

My dear friend, Bethany, got married over Labor Day weekend in the Newport Beach Temple.  I had been long awaiting this day (less than she had, I'm sure) and decided that I had to make the trip no matter what.  I'm still nursing Sophie so the only way I could make the trip was to have someone come with me to watch her during the wedding.  I sent a few emails and only a couple of days later, it was made into a girl's trip.  My mom, Linda, and Laura all came with me.

We stayed in Santa Ana and traveled all around LA and even down to Carlsbad for some serious shopping.  Let me tell you, a shopping trip with the Green girls is not for the faint-hearted.  Sophie was such a trooper and behaved extremely well for not having any formal naps.

I took my Baby Bjorn but didn't take a stroller.  As we walked around the Fashion District in LA in the 100 degree heat, I realized that was a big mistake.  Luckily, the vendors are experienced in what people will pay money for and we were able to find a little umbrella stroller which definitely paid for itself by the end of the trip.

Bethany in the middle: Bride's Night Out

Beautiful Newport Beach Temple

Happy Bride and Groom

Me and Bethany

 

Momma and Sophie on the beach in Carlsbad

Sophie's first time walking on the beach.  She was thrilled!

Jonah's Locks

Jonah has lovely hair.  I wish I had his hair.  I hate cutting it.  But a couple of weeks ago, I did.  I almost cried that night as I tried to fall asleep.  I'm used to it now and it is already starting to grow back out.  He has already had 5 or so haircuts but it never gets easier.

Bath time

 

Sophie Sue...deer in headlights?

 

Before haircut...that hair just makes my heart melt!

 

After haircut.  Still as handsome as ever.

This too shall pass

This morning began like every other:  Sophie woke up, followed by her brother Jonah.  Jonah went potty and got dressed and we all gathered in the kitchen for breakfast.  I put Sophie in her high chair, turned on Playhouse Disney, and started making breakfast.  Sophie squeaks and whines because if she has to sit in her high chair, she MUST be eating.  I endured her protests while I made Jonah's oatmeal and my croissant and hot chocolate.  I looked over several times to reassure her that I was coming.  I noticed she was chewing on something but didn't give her a second glance because I figured it was just an abandoned goldfish from a past meal.  I was just glad she was quiet for a few minutes.

After breakfast I got her ready for her nap and while changing her clothes, I noticed one of her earrings was missing.  I checked her bed, clothes, blankets, retraced my steps from this morning's routine, and couldn't find it anywhere.  I checked her high chair and the area around it and found the back to her earring.  I felt confident I'd also find the earring.  Then it hit me!  She probably swallowed it!  She must have been chewing on her earring when I was making breakfast!!

A few Google searches and a consultation with my mother-in-law put me at ease.  She wasn't in pain and had fallen right asleep.  My title, in addition to Mother, for the next few days will be baby poop dissector.  I hope I find that little, black, onyx earring.

Vivians in Santa Fe

A few weeks ago, Sophie and I took a trip to Santa Fe for our annual Indian Market gathering with the girls.  It was Sophie's first time going and she did wonderfully.  She slept in the closet in our hotel room (don't report me to DCFS...it was dark, quiet, and she loved it).

Indian Market is full of beautiful artwork, jewelry, and culture.  Other than walking around the plaza and seeing the artists and their work, we like to visit the Georgia O'Keefe museum, eat at Tomassitas (among other delicious New Mexican restaurants), make several trips to Trader Joe's, and relax in our hotel room.

Each year we like to have a "Vivian Project" where we use our creative juices to make something for one of the other ladies in our group.  If you're wondering about the meaning of "Vivian", well...that's a whole other post which probably wouldn't make much sense until you came on one of our trips.  This year we made tiaras for each other and I got to make one for my mom.  I opted not to go too cheesy with it.  I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

The Vivians

 

Audra, Me, Laura, Mom, and Sophie Sue

 

Tiara made by Joan

 

Mom's Tiara

Plane ride home

Thank you, to my dear Vivians, for a wonderful trip! Many more to come!

We're going private, Folks.

We've decided to go private. I know it's inconvenient for some but it's in our best interest. If you'd like to be included, please send me your email address. You don't have to leave it in the comments if you don't want to. Email me with it instead.

More posts to come!

My baby is all grown up!

Today was Jon's first day of school. Even though he didn't have any classes, he was still a little anxious about it all. Last night I cut his hair and this morning he woke up early to iron his shirt. He had to wear a suit today and wanted to look as sharp as a pin for his official MBA picture which will be hanging in the Tanner Building "for years to come" (as he put it).

I decided to drive him to school this morning so I could have the car for the rest of the day. As we drove up to the front of the building, I insisted on taking his picture. We said a prayer and he got out of the car, grabbed his briefcase, and headed in with the rest of the suits. I was so proud. I had to choke back the tears. It was as if I had dropped off my first child at school. I wanted to get out and hold his hand and walk him inside to make sure he got adjusted quickly and comfortably.

So begins a new phase in our lives. Doors will open and exciting things will happen! (Maybe I'll write fortunes for fortune cookies to make a few extra bucks.)

I want to get on the potty train!

We took the leap yesterday and started potty-training Jonah. I've been prepping myself mentally for a few weeks now and decided it would be best if we started when Jon could be home to help. Jon's last day of work was last Friday and he has a week and a half off before starting the MBA program.

One particular event, really helped push me over the edge and start potty-training. A couple of weeks ago we went to the pool with my in-laws and Jonah's cousins. As I paid for the tickets, the woman at the desk asked if my kids had swim diapers AND the plastic underwear over them. I lied (like everyone else in the pool) and told her they did. I entered the park and while searching for some shade, I grumbled under my breath, "Who really buys those plastic pants anyway? What a ridiculous requirement."

The kids had a great time playing in the water and near the end of our stay, my sister-in-law said, "What is that in the water?" Sure enough, there was poop floating around us. I stood up, disgusted, and went to pick Jonah up out of the water. It was time to go home. Just to make sure, though, I checked his pants. I didn't want to be the one with the kid who pooped in the pool! Much to my dismay, my dear, sweet Jonah had not only pooped in his swim diaper, but it had started to disintegrate and break down so much so that it was oozing out the sides of his diaper and swimsuit. I was mortified.

I took him back to our towels, changed his diaper, vowed never to return without plastic undies, and decided it was time to potty-train.

I was pretty nervous when yesterday came and it was time to teach him to go potty. He'd been fairly resistant to my encouraging and motivating to sit on the potty. The morning was horrible. He sat on the potty for about 85% of the morning and still managed to pee 5 times on the floor in the 15% he wasn't on the potty. But after nap time, he finally peed for the first time and then it just caught on like wild fire. He has yet to poop in the potty and I'm sure he's holding back, but he hasn't had an accident since yesterday morning.

I'm so proud of my little boy! He looks so cute in his big boy underwear. He ran around in his "Handy Manny" undies outside last night, playing with all the neighbor kids. What a cutie.

Sophie, 8 months

How time flies. My little Sophie Sue is growing so fast. I got her dressed the other day and thought it was a perfect outfit for a few pictures.

I need to go to Colorado!

Once we told Jonah about our planned trip to Colorado on July 16th, we heard this phrase non-stop: "I need to go to Colorado!". Well, we've been back for about 2 weeks now and we're still hearing it occasionally. He loves to visit Mimi and Grandpa.

Jon's new shades reflect the highway

I-80, Wyoming style

The car ride was pretty good both ways. I'm grateful to have discovered that Jonah enjoys watching movies on my iPod. It keeps him nice and quiet when he's refusing to take a nap. He calls his headphones his "listens".


While we were there, we went to Water World for the afternoon. It was so much fun to have Mimi and Grandpa there with us and they were so wonderful and watched Jonah, Sophie, and Eva for us while we went on a few adult rides. We waited way too long for the toilet bowl ride but it was worth seeing Johnny and Jonathan go around in circles for 10 minutes before dropping into the pool below. On another note, thank goodness for people who know how to wear a swimsuit that fits.

We also got to celebrate little Eva's first birthday with a beautiful cake that Audra created. It was delicious! Happy Birthday, Eva!