For the past, let's just round it up to an even number of 4 years, I've been either a birthing or milking machine. Exercise and running were the farthest things from my mind. I barely had enough energy to keep up, let alone do something useful for my body. Wait, that's not entirely true...I worked out quite a bit for a year before I got pregnant with Connor, but you get the idea. I was very jealous of my friends and family who took time to exercise and were successful at it, too.

Anyway, I was tired of being 1) lazy 2) out of shape and 3) grouchy. The exact day that I got clearance from the doctor to resume normal activity after surgery, I decided to take up running. The goals - in this very particular order - are to complete: a 5K, a 10K, a half-marathon or 25K, and a marathon. It might not sound like much to some of you, but let's be honest - I'm not an athletic person (obviously not a newsflash). I have to work at completing any kind of athletic activity. Coordination, stamina, focus, strength, etc, are not words that I generally associate with myself. But hey, it's time to do something. Running wins.

At my athletic brother's suggestion, I got fitted for running shoes, and holy crap that has really made a HUGE difference. My feet are having an affair with my running shoes. They feel so good on my feet that I want to just wear them all the time. My feet are even begging to wear them right now.

I started out with the "Couch to 5K" plan on February 21st. Basically, it's an 8-9 week program designed to combine walking and running to train to walk/run a 5K. After week 2, I got bored. I wanted to run, not walk, for crying out loud. So one night during week 3, with some serious "coaching" from one of my running pals, I just decided to throw the "Couch to 5K" program out the window. Now, I just run instead of walk/run. I run a 5K, without walking/stopping, and am ready for our 1st 5K race on April 11th.

I try to run every other day, sometimes every 3 days. I cannot stand to run alone. Not only do I rely on the other person for security, but I also rely on them for support. Sometimes I run with friends/neighbors, sometimes - rarely - I run with Jeremy and no kids, sometimes I run with my kiddos in jogging strollers . But that is the hardest work ever!



Whether or not I actually ever "compete" in running or not, I really enjoy having this outlet. Sometimes, especially after a very long/stressful/emotional day, I just can't WAIT to run. Scary. But I love it.

Connor learned to ride his 4 wheeler - on his own. (You hear the whining, "Play Barbies with me..." in the background? That's what I hear 50 times a day...)



Connor fell asleep on me today, and I had the wonderful opportunity to just watch Megan play. I had Daddy grab the video camera because it was just so darn cute. Hopefully you can hear it...she was cracking me up! Her Barbies made chocolate bunnies like "How It's Made" (one of her new favorite shows).






(This is the from her school - her Barbies were at school after the "How It's Made" demonstration.)

And then this was from the other day. She just cracks me up.

It's been a long week. On Monday, my Aunt Joan (Aunt Jones, to the kiddos) received news that her granddaughter, Taylor, died from injuries due to a skiing accident in Colorado. Taylor was only 13, and she was such a beautiful, talented young lady. I've been over with Aunt Joan most of the week and could not be more grateful for the love and support both my extended and immediate family received throughout the week. It was a comfort to know that my husband and kids were taken care of by my circle of family and friends. When I needed something - like, say, for someone to drop everything and watch my kids or to "vent" to a friend or to just be distracted - there was never an argument or disagreement. It just happened and was taken care of quickly. Thank you.

The tragic circumstances and aftermath have caused me to think and over-process even more than I already do - yes, apparently, that is possible. I've gone through so many emotions and thoughts, several of which I'm not even ready to talk about yet, but one thing I keep coming back to is remembering to enjoy my kids. It's hard in the hustle and bustle of life to enjoy the little things, but it's so important to enjoy them. And so, I will.

Remember Taylor

My friend and I took the kids out for a photo shoot. Sadly, and as you can already tell, I had to dust off my camera.

The kids had a hard time sitting still.





I sort of got one of them together and looking up.



Connor looks so OLD here! I just love his smile...



Megan was in a mood...



And so was Connor...

Both kids are fever free and, aside from having cabin fever, are 99% back to normal. Megan still has a cough that makes one question whether or not she'll make it through the coughing spell, but everything is much improved. Thank you for all the support - from afar. Hope we didn't pass the germs on to anyone.

We HAD to get out today. Since we're no longer contagious, we went to the children's museum. The "Dino Dig" was open today - thank goodness - so Megan played paleontologist. At one point she had a group of kids around her while she explained to them that she "is already a paleontologist". One little boy argued with her, but she whipped out some big dinosaur words and he backed off. While she did her paleontologist thing...



I spent my time and energy extracting nature from Connor's mouth...



I bet I pulled a mound of rocks and half a tree branch from his mouth. And it's a wonder he was sick.

We had an enjoyable day. It was a little frustrating having Connor want to be down, running around and into everything. I mean there's 2 1/2 foot Connor aimlessly wondering around a crowded museum, underfoot of adults and kids and then there's Megan who wants to do everything - especially things that aren't really geared toward Connor's age (understandable). People were kind enough to steer clear of him as he walked the whole entire place, as much as possible, but they can only do so much when he wanders right into them, etc. I became increasingly frustrated with him as he wouldn't sit still when I held him, and he wouldn't sit in the stroller. One of the museum workers went room to room and gathered up "baby proof" things for him to play with while Megan did art in the "Doodler Room". The worker, Laurie, was SO helpful and willing to take the time to make sure all 3 of us were happy with our experience.

Mommy: I'm sorry you're sick and don't feel well.
Megan: It's okay, Mom. It's not your fault.
Mommy: I know, but it makes me sad.
Megan: I said it's not your fault! It's Dad's fault.
Mommy: It's Dad's fault? Why?
Megan: He doesn't feed me healthy foods.


I was in the kitchen, putting dinner on the table; Megan was lazing on the couch.
Mommy: Megan, come to the table...dinner's ready.
Megan: I can't. I'm watching The Weather Channel...my FAVORITE show besides Dinosaur Train.
Mommy: What's on? *turned to look at the TV* Oh, that's a tornado. Where did that tornado happen?
Megan: I think it was Africa. Yep, I'm pretty sure it was Africa.
Mommy: Well, the words at the bottom say Oklahoma. I think it was Oklahoma.
Megan: It WAS Oklahoma. *pause* Poor Oklahoma. Bet she didn't want to get smacked by a tornado.

Well, this house is infected. It all started last Monday when I came home with a stomach bug. I was very nauseous but managed to keep it together - mostly. THEN the kids came down with it, too. Megan puked all over the backseat of the van one night, and Connor just plain wouldn't eat. It was pretty ugly. THEN, Daddy got in the game, and we were all sick at once. Luckily, it was only a 24 hour thing. Boy, we thought that was bad.

Friday day/night, Megan acted completely normal and even went to a slumber party/campout at Grandma and Grandpa's house. When she got home, she acted a little weird for Megan. I mean, she climbed up in the chair and went to sleep - never happens. Also, she kept waking up in hysterics, which was weird for her, too. Daddy happened to brush her hair back, and she was burning up. She ran a fever off and on all weekend. Today, she wasn't doing any better. Connor was doing the exact same thing, minus the high fever (low grade all weekend), so I called the doctor.

She took one listen to them both, turned to me, and said, "Pneumonia." Seriously? I thought she was going to tell me that, once again, I had brought them in for a little cold. Megan's is really bad, and Connor's is just settling in. Needless to say, they are both in a bad way. It's hard to successfully contain 2 very energetic kids when the Motrin kicks in...they are weepy and whiny and lethargic when running a fever, but when the Motrin takes over, they want to be running around like banshees.

So, the plans have changed...we'll be holed up in the house for several more days. Dr. H said that the next few days are "wait and see" days. If they get worse, we'll have to go another route. If they get better, we're on the right track.

Ever since we moved into our house, we've talked about "gutting the flowerbed". I can't find a before picture, but our flowerbed just sloped into the yard at a severe angle. We tried to partition it off, etc, but nothing would grow along the front. We did a little research and decided to build it up. May I present...our new front flowerbed (look at the wall, not the plants...those will all be gone soon).





Before you are too impressed with us, we did not install the wall. We hired someone to build it and a herb/berry garden in the back. We already had the garden, but we added the section under the windows. ALL three areas (front flowerbed, garden, and herb/berry garden) had to be gutted of existing dirt and plants and then refilled with the dirt we had delivered on Friday. Grandpa helped us all day. He came and helped "play", as he put it. He said it was more fun than the work he had planned for his Saturday afternoon. Yikes! Gran and Papa kept the kids inside for us for a while so we could both work. Thanks to the grandparents!!





Of course we had all kinds of other help, too.



I am SO sore all over. It's almost 9:00, and it's mostly done - 95% done. The garden is full of dirt, the strawberries were moved from the garden to the berry/herb stretch, the herbs are planted, the front flowerbed is full, and the mound of dirt is almost gone. Pictures to follow when there's light again. All we have left to do is choose/buy the plants for the front flowerbed and put them in. Another day. Now I'm popping 2 Advil and calling it a night. I hope I can move tomorrow.

Megan discovered some "fossils" today. She took them to her lab to "handle carefully". She "identified" each "bone" for me after she "carefully removed the dust" from each one. She "discovered": "a femur of a brachiosaurus", several teeth, an "herbivore jawbone", a "meteorite", a "stygimolich skull", a "pachycepholasaur tail bone", and several pieces of "fossilized dino poop". I never knew we lived in such a dinosaur valley!

When all else seems wrong in my world, at least I have these two to keep me going...