May 2014 in Review

May was a busy, fun filled month. It started off with delivering May baskets, celebrating Mother's Day, I ran a marathon, Alivia and I ran the Papillion 5K, they finished up the school year, Alivia turned 10!! years old, Asher had his school program and played a lot of soccer, we celebrated Memorial Day, we went to a Storm Chasers Game, and we got wet outside to beat the heat! It was so much fun!

Alivia continues to get her fill of her BFF Lizzy whenever she can, run a little and plays mind craft more than we would like. She is no longer texting on her ipad (long story, but she is too young for it!), but likes to have her friends over as much as she can.

 Addison is excelling in piano and enjoys going to lessons. Crazy, because I always hated them! We are happy she found an interest in something. In her free time, she likes to play mindcraft and have playdates with her BFF Halle.

Asher is a wild boy. In his free time, he likes to exert all of his boy energy way past my bedtime. He likes to color at night, play basketball and soccer, and play with his buddies, Cameron and Henry. He keeps us all on our toes and in the kitchen as he eats constantly!

Not sure how we will top it in June, but we must at least try! Happy Summer!

Alivia's birthday at Mama's Pizza

HERE ARE SOME OF MAY'S BEST MOMENTS CAPTURED IN PICTURES!!!

Memorial Day 2014

What a Day. We had plans, to begin with, to go to my parents as we do every year for a grill out following the service at the cemetery. On Saturday, Asher got invited to go to the Storm Chasers game by his friend Jonah, in the AT&T skybox. We could not pass that up. So, plans changed. My mom ended up being really sick and could not even make it to the service (and the girls did not sleep over at their house as planned). But, it all turned out okay.

We got up and went to the 10Am service. It was windy, a little rainy and cold (it is always cold). After the service, we went home to pack up for the 12 noon first pitch.

The skybox was AMAZING! How cool! Air conditioned or sit outside in the shade. Wow, love those options! It was super nice and so nice of Asher's friend to invite us! We had a blast. The weather turned out to be great, too!

It was a fabulous day spent together. What more could we ask for?! We paid our respects and then celebrated summer all wrapped into one day.

At My Grandma's grave...we lost her one year ago.

Skybox view!

Happy 10th Birthday Alivia!

Alivia turned 10 years old on Sunday, May 25 (Memorial Day Eve). She celebrated with her friends for a sleepover at our home on the last day of school. What a way to mark the last day of school, right?!

Alivia invited her friends Elizabeth, Katy, Emma, Parker, Gabby, and Addison. There was a lot of girl drama as the night went on, let me tell you. From the sounds of it, Alivia contributed to the drama. Gees!

The night started at 4pm. The kids played outside and ran around. At 5:30, we had pizza and breadsticks followed by more running around. By 7, it was time for presents (where she got clothes, earrings, lego friends and things for Justice. Lots of great stuff!). After presents, Alivia gave each of the girls a thank you present - matching PJs from Justice. (Let me tell you, this turned out to be a nightmare. I would not recommend doing this, and it was quite expensive too. Alivia invited one girl last minute because her feelings were hurt. I paid $20+ for her PJs not on sale. UGH! I ended up going to every Justice store and online to buy all the sizes. Like I said, don't do this at home!). The girls all loved them! At least that was good, right?!

After that, Alivia made a wish on her icecream cake from DQ in Papillion. Alivia is very picky, pickier by the day, and asked for an icecream cake. She ate a few bites. The leftovers were finished by Addison and Asher and summer's first playdates. :)

The girls slept in a big tent in the basement after watching a movie. I'm pretty sure this party was an awake over, but I believe that is what they are all about, right?

To complete my mission (send the girls home sleep deprived and full of sugar), they all wanted Alivia's breakfast choice of Lucky Charms for breakfast. They finished off that huge box in no time, each girl having multiple servings, leaving the fruit and yogurt on the table. So funny.

They played outside until the rides arrived to go home.

Overall, it was a success. Fun was had by all, and I slept a few hours. What more can we ask for?

On Alivia's actual birthday on Sunday, she invited her friend Lizzy over to go skating with us. Little did I know that they were having a tournament and didn't have open skate. So, we stayed home and played all day. For dinner, we met the Grandparents at Mama's Pizza in La Vista, Alivia's choice. She actually ate an entire slice of pizza - so much success! Her grandparents spoiled her rotten and she was in seventh heaven.

From us, Alivia got clothes and had her room completely redone. It still is not 100% redone, but I will post before and after shots when it is completed. Her room is all grown up now, with gray walls, black bedding with pink zebra print sheets. I printed  a poster print of her friends to frame and put on the wall along with some other artwork I found. I need to buy a couple of bookcases for her lego friends now. It is coming together, slowly. But, it looks great and she loves it!

Happy Birthday, Alivia! We love you!

Birthday Questions for Age 10:
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Toy: Ipad
Favorite meal: I don't know, Pepperoni and crackers. (Alivia has gotten rather picky and will not eat pepporini and crackers! She is into yogurt and bananas, to go apple sauce, strawberries and smoothies. That is about it! God help me.
Favorite Game: Clue and Mindcraft
Favorite snack: Superhero Graham crackers
Favorite Book: Adventures of Santa Paws
Best Friend: Lizzy
Breakfast: Lucky Charms (but I never let her have them).
Favorite thing to do outside: Play basketball with our new hoop
Favorite drink: lemonade
Favorite holiday: Christmas
What do you take to bed with you at night? Pippa, our dog :)
Favorite cereal: Lucky Charms again
Where do you want to go to dinner on your birthday? Mama's La Vista
Favorite Restaurant: Panera (where she gets a plain bagel and a smoothie).
Favorite Animal: Puppy
Favorite Show: Jessie
Favorite outfit: New pink dress she got from Grandma Kathy while shopping the day before her birthday

Last Day of School 2014

Thursday May 22 at 11:40 AM marked the end of the 2014 school year and the end of Kindergarten for Asher, second grade for Addison and fourth grade for Miss Alivia.

Unbelievable!
I drove the kiddos to school through the rain with Alivia's friend (and running mate) Katy, took last minute pictures with their teachers and walked home. Can not believe how quickly this year flew by.
We celebrated by inviting a bunch of friends to our home to play. It was raining at first, so the park could not happen. Asher had his friends Will, Xander and Hayes (from soccer) and a new friend ASHER too, Addison had her friends Kaitlyn and Halle and Alivia had her friends Elizabeth, Katy, Gabby, and Addison. It was a full house, but they all had fun. It was good prep for Mommy for the sleepover party that night anyway (lol).
The kids each are milestones ahead of the beginning of the year. Congrats Kiddos! Now, let's have a fun summer!

First Day of school

Last Day of School (Orange You Glad It Is Summer Outfits!).

Alivia's 4th? 5K Run

On May 18, Alivia and her friend Katy ran the Papillion 5K run. OM, talk about a hilly course! I had trained these girls for a few months not knowing the course until a few weeks before (because I didn't look into it). But, the girls ran the actual course 3 times before the actual race. It was one hill after another on gravel and trails. INSANITY! They did really well considering the coarse conditions, running the final race all the way through without stopping.

In the end, they were both happy they ran it but more happy it was over with. Papillion had bouncers set up that they had energy for after having some chocolate milk and donuts (yuck, really?!). I have to say, Papillion had a good set up post race. It was nice to run into the track and have cheerleaders there at the finish. It was very fun for them.

You Go Girls!! Impressive!!

They pushed through until the end finishing in 29 minutes!

Mother's Day 2014

So, I'm ever so slightly behind. So what, right?

Mother's Day.

I was scheduled to work the night before so we didn't have any plans. I actually like it that way. But, lucky for me (this time), I was cancelled and didn't have to work. So, Mother's Day we met my Mom at Zios Pizza in Omaha (my favorite and my parents had never been there). Yummy! We got finished just in time for the storm sirens to start going off. Yummy food though.

Chris and the kids gave me 26.2 stickers for the cars (so I am one of those annoying people now) and under armour headbands (I want one of each please!). Now I am set.

Now, onto Father's Day, right? :)

Me and my Mommy :)

I am a MARATHONER!

As of yesterday, about 10:55am, I am a marathoner, finishing my first full marathon!

Goals. Okay, I knew I was setting some lofty goals. First it was 1 hr and 40 minutes, in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Doable? Probably. But, for the first marathon, probably not. Additionally, I ran injured for a few weeks and my training suffered. And, on all my long runs, I had difficulty keeping my blood sugars up and usually became sick shortly after finishing. I knew the blood sugar thing was going to be an issue, and I was unfortunately correct.

From mile 1-mile 11, I was rocking the thing, running under or right at 8 minute miles. My body felt great. I ran following a couple of guys that were running together and looked as though they knew what they were doing. At mile 11, I felt a wave of nausea fall over my body and I knew my sugars were dropping. I had been eating starting at mile 5. I eat cliff chews, jelly beans and gummy bears. I drank water at every water station without difficulty. What was I doing wrong. If I was doing the half, I would have fought through and perhaps beat my personal record from last time. But, I walked a bit and slowed my pace. I was sick.

Crossing by the stadium where the half marathoners were finishing and keeping going was very tough. I felt awful, but I knew I would kick myself if I didn't at least try. My mile times dropped to 9 minute miles (which is not good for me) and even made a potty stop (which was perhaps unnecessary but I needed a break more than anything). It was so hard to keep going when I didn't know for sure where I was going, how much farther until the turn around by the lake, and how could I keep myself from vomiting?

At every water station, I would slow and walk through them, taking a cup of water to splash on myself, a cup of water to drink, and a cup of ice to chew until the next water station. I took my share of orange slices in hopes that they would help (but they did not).

I have to say, the Lincoln Marathon crew is AMAZING! I would start walking and a biker would be there asking if I needed anything. I said I was low on sugar and they provided me with something. They were great! Chris, my lone cheerleader, saw the hazards in the busy intersections since the city did not close the streets. He saw many near misses with runners and with cars. I'm lucky I did not see any of that. I just kept one foot in front of the other.

As the stadium neared, I just wanted to finish in under 4 hours. Seriously, I practically walked into the stadium. I was so sick. The 3 hr and 40 minute pacer (clearly much behind pace) ran up and grabbed me and told me to get going...we are almost there. I started to run and kick it through the finish, at 3 hr and 55 minutes (my half time was 1 hr 46 minutes).

I stopped, happy it was over. Where or where is that thing they call runner's high?

A guy handing out the warming "blankets" agreed to take my picture for me and send it to Chris, who was no where to be found. I walked through the tunnel of memorial stadium grabbing some of the supplied food that I thought I could swallow. I walked out to a crowd of people awaiting their family. I had no idea where Chris said to meet and I was not about to walk any place. I sat on the curb and asked some random stranger to use his phone. He dialed Chris on his sweet looking phone and Chris soon spotted me (Chris still wanted me to walk to him!).

After a quick picture from Chris, and I slammed a banana, we were off. I got on Chris' bike to make the hike back to the hotel (We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. It was a nice, clean hotel. But, it was expensive. I told Chris that it was the price to pay out of necessity. He soon realized what I meant).  I knew I had a short period of time between the finish and when I would start vomiting. Once that happened, I knew I would be a total mess and had no idea how I would get back to the hotel. I glided on Chris' bike ahead of him, stopping and sitting on benches to wait for him to catch up. I could tell, he was very annoyed that I was not waiting for him, but he had no idea how much I was suffering.

We got back to the hotel, taking his bike and all up to the room. As we stepped off the elevator onto the 4th floor, the wave hit me. My time had run out. We got back to the room and I collapsed in bed, thanking myself for asking for a later check out (1:30 instead 12).

I jumped between the bed and the bathroom for a while. It was coming from all ends at the same time! I was so sick. After vomiting a while, I tried to jump into the shower and see if that helped. It was amazing while I was in there, but I got up and went back to going to bathroom and vomiting and laying on a towel on the hotel bathroom floor. I was a serious mess.

As 1pm approached, I knew we had to get going. I told Chris he would have to load up because as soon as I sat up I got dizzy and nauseous. Chris loaded the car, check out and I sat out front to wait for him to come around from the parking garage. I laid in the car trying to get comfortable. About half way home, another wave of nausea came over me and I was lucky to have a Panera bag to get sick into. Poor Chris. He did not say a word to me. I was just a mess. Once at home, I dropped everything and went to bed until 4pm. When I woke, I felt much better. I had Chris order me my reward pizza where I did my best to eat a couple slices and drink a lot of water. I felt better but weird all night.

The kids elected to stay at my parents. They had a blast on the farm. I am thankful they went with them because I was in no shape to be a Mommy after my run. My parents rock!

The girls in Grandma's bath tub. Enough bubbles you think?

The goal was achieved, to finish a marathon. Now, what is my next goal? I don't know. For starters, I have to survive 5 12 hour night shifts this week. That may be worse than the marathon!

* More pics to come!

How I started out running. It was a cold start. But, once I started running, I never noticed the cold.

FINISHER VIDEO! 

April 2014 in Review

Better late than never. April was a busy month. Let's just start by saying I went from working 3 eight hour shifts every other week to working 3 twelve hour shifts minimum a week!! That was a lot to adjust to. Clearly, I did not keep up as my photo album fell way behind.

In April, we had some snow (seriously!), Addison's beautiful First Communion, Asher started soccer, Daddy had a birthday, and Alivia continued training for the Papillion 5K with her friend Katy. We celebrated Easter in Iowa on a beautiful day. We made plenty of memories, the best we have in pictures HERE. Enjoy!

Last Week Running

Down to less than a week until I run my first 26.2 miles...ever! I have ran 20 miles in training but have never ran the last 6.2. I took the week off work, having got in my monthly hours for April last week (and not wanting to start May just yet). Now I am wondering if that was a good idea.

I just want to run the dang thing and get it over with!

I am thinking and rethinking.

I usually run with a water bottle. But, now I don't want to. I mean, they will have water stations, I am assuming. I can just swing by and get water, right? But, if I don't take my bottle, where will I put my food? I have cliff chews I cut up into pieces so I can easily chew them. They make me really thirsty though. I almost need the chews with water right afterwards. That is how I practiced. But, the water bottle is like running with a 5 pound weight. Do I really want to run with that? Um, no.

So, tomorrow I will try a couple more places for a fuel belt before I just pin the gels into a ziplock onto my shorts and call it good. Really, who cares anyway, right? I just want my gels and my food. Yes, I pack food, too. I don't get hungry, but my blood sugar drops and then I get sick. If I don't time when I eat something just right and wait too long, I start vomiting and it is all over.

So, what am I worried about? One, I will wear out. Two, my right knee will act up (I take my share of Motrin before running and this seems to help) and Three, my blood sugar will plummet and I won't be able to finish.

My goal. TO FINISH THE MARATHON! I would love to finish in under 4 hours. But, I know this may not be possible. Sh*t Happens. I am no longer going in with the big goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon (yes, you have to qualify to run the Boston). Afterall, I am not even sure I want to run it! I may run another one, but it will be in Hawaii or Florida or somewhere I can take a nice little mini vacation afterwards. Really, Boston doesn't come to mind just yet. Again, I just want to finish ONE MARATHON! I have ran my whole life. My time is getting slower and slower. I am now pushing 8:30 average for the 20 mile runs! That is horrible for me. With that said, I am still in the 7 range when only running 6 miles...so it is like my head knows that I am running farther so slow down. I am starting in the 7-8 minute mile for the marathon. I want to be pacing with the group for as long as I can. Hopefully I can stick close to the 8 minute mile range for most of the race. I am questioning that from mile 18 on. I tend to start to die as I push towards 20 miles. My time slips to 9 minute miles. And you know what, I am okay with that...as I just WANT TO FINISH.

So, if you are a praying person, and I hope you are, say an extra prayer for me, my body and my soul as I run this Sunday. Chris will be there as my support crew while the kids will be at home electing not to go (to my dismay). I look forward to saying I finished come next week!

Addison's First Communion

At the 5 PM Mass this last Saturday, April 26, Addison celebrated her First Communion in front of my parents, Chris' parents and her Great Grandma Pat (and our family, of course). She was the first of 6 total kids during this Mass and she did great. She took the body and blood of Christ like a pro. She is already looking forward to being able to go to Church and participate in Holy Communion instead of crossing her arms.

Addison's comment afterwards, "Daddy, I liked the Blood of Christ."

She is one funny girl.

We celebrated with a grill out and cake and ice cream. We gave Addison a little bracelet from Stands of Grace with her favorite colors, purple. Grandma Bet and Grandpa Bill gave her a cross necklace, something she will cherish forever. The only problem is, Addison doesn't want to ruin the Borsheims box and bow it came in! And Chris' parents gave her a giftcard to Parables, bracelets and a book. She was thankful for all the nice things family gave her. My question is, what do you give boys on their First Communion. (Jill, help me out on this one as you will go first! :) ).

It was a beautiful day and moment for Addison, something she can cherish forever. Congratulations Addison!

The kids with Grandma Bet and Grandpa Bill (my parents) and Asher, the ham!

The kids with Great Grandma Pat, Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Bob

Addison and her free cake (it was free because they lost my order and made this one up in 10 minutes! Tasted the same though!).

Happy Birthday Daddy

Daddy celebrated a birthday April 6. Seriously, I am so behind.

Anyway, we didn't let Daddy's day pass without a celebration. The night before, my amazing parents came down and watched the kids so Chris and I could enjoy a quiet dinner, with an emphasis on quiet. We just went to Panera, but it was so nice to sit, talk and chew uninterrupted. We stopped by Gerta's to pick up some birthday donuts per Daddy's request, too.

What did Daddy want for his birthday this year? Well, for starters, he got 2 45 pound dumb bells. Exciting, huh? Asher bought Chris a Spider Man T-shirt as the 2 of them share their love of Superheros. The girls and I bought him Ultimate Ears Boom Wireless Bluetooth speaker. Chris was excited to get the speaker as it was an unexpected surprise.

Chris and I got free iphones (Verizon gave us free iphones since we were one of a dozen people without smart phones and they felt bad for us. And, they wanted to gauge us with the data plans!). Anyway, Chris wanted the speaker for his phone. He uses it when he works out with, you guessed it, his new weights! :) See, the gifts all go together.

We had a good, simple day, just as Daddy likes it.

Happy Birthday Daddy! Many more...

Last Training Long Run

Today was my last training long run for my first (and perhaps only) marathon. It is hard to believe I have trained now 17 weeks for this marathon with only one week to go.

Next Sunday I take on the 26.2 miles. Chris is coming to support me, and the kids and my parents may come as well.

Honestly, I'm just looking forward to crossing the finish line and being done.

One week plus...and I'm counting.

Sleepless in Papillion

I am now 6 days into the 9 days I am scheduled to work in April. Craziness! I now question how moms do it? Im Definitely not made to nearly work full time (I work 12.5 hour shifts) and be a mommy and wife.

The work itself is challenging. I call an hour before my shift to find out where I am going to work from 7pm-11pm. One night, I had left the house and got called to be switched assignments! I'm hoping that does not happen too often. Every night, I have a new group of patients, co workers, places where things are kept, and differences on how some units do things. It is difficult to keep up with. I'm typically not one to go with the flow, but it am working on it. I kinda have to.  Luckily, I learn quickly.

Some nights, come 11pm, I am reassigned to another hospital. They pay me for drive time and mileage, but that is another huge adjustment. I have stayed on the same unit twice now and in the same building a couple times, just switching units within the same building. One night I was in a new unit every 4 hours. Needless to say, my head was spinning.

All in all, the job itself is okay so far. I still want to get into pediatrics at some point, but this will work for now.

As for home life, the family has gotten used to Chris cooking, doing bedtime stories and getting the kids off to school in the mornings. Alivia is the only one that is outspoken to say she doesn't like my working. I keep reminding her, I'm just working this month until the summer, then I will cut back. And yes, I will and I must.

The money is nice, but peace, tranquility and a clean home are better. Just saying. I can do without the extra money. And, we will come June! In June my requirements are cut to 24 hours a month, but I plan to work every other weekend, 4 12 hour shifts. At least that is what I am thinking right now. Only time will tell.

Off to bed. Gotta prepare for another night shift tomorrow, followed by a 5 hour nap before repeating. Fun stuff!

My 20 Mile Run

I am almost there...almost to the 26.2 marker I set out to run. Almost, but about 50 minutes more running away.

On Saturday, I set out for the weekly long run. I normally try to run during the week, but with hospital orientation during the day last week, the 20 miler was just not possible. So, Saturday became my long run day.

I got up, ate my eggs, bacon and a banana and set off. I mapped my run through the neighborhood, to Walnut Creek Rec Area, to papio trail and back via mapmyrun.com (love it!). I was able to get a pretty good idea of where I was going before I set out. So nice. I landed at home at 20 miles almost on the nose! Perfect. I would not want to go a step farther than my goal of 20!

What I have learned.

Pack a water bottle. I have the carrying case water bottle with a pouch in the side. In the pouch, I tucked away a clementine ready to eat, cut up cliff chews and a cut up larabar. This was the first week for the larabar.It didnt work so good...or maybe it was the orange. I just know I need sugar mid run and oranges are often seen during the marathon. I wanted to be sure to practice eating them before the big day.

I was really tired. I am not going to lie. My time slowed and slowed and slowed after mile 17. Mile 20 was a 10 minute mile (with some walking involved). I was plain spent.

The sad part is...I would have 6.2 miles left to go. Really? Really?!?!? It doesn't seem like that far until you compute it would take my an hour or hopefully less to get to that 6.2 miles. I would finish the full marathon in just under 4 hours if I finished at a 10 minute mile pace to finish it out.That is my goal...to finish in under 4 hours.The Boston goal went out the window with my knee injury. And now, my right foot is swollen (after the 20 miles). So, who knows. The 800 mg of Motrin before my runs helps a lot.

One month to go. And yes, I am counting. :)

Working Life

I have not worked 12 hours as a nurse in over a year and I have not worked 36 hours a week as a nurse since before I had kids (and that was for a very brief time before I became a pharmaceutical rep).

That has all changed.

I have started the 96 hours a month requirement through my first job and I am 12 hours in. It was not too bad for the first night. With that said, I was following another nurse. Tonight will be the true test when I go at it alone. There will be another nurse there and possibly a tech as well...so that always helps. But, I will be left to figure out the charting, patient care, and everything...alone. Yah.

I have to say, working 12 hours and sleeping 5 is not very much. By the time I pick up the kids from school, prepare dinner, lunches and snacks for the next day...it is time to go again. There is not much time there. For the 3 days in a row I am on, I am checked out of the Austin reality. I don't like that, and I don't think Chris does either. He is having to be Mr. Mom at night and in the mornings (where before I was able to stay home until 10, well after the kids were in bed).

We will adjust I am sure.

For now, this is the new reality. Working life. Let's see what I think after this month.

Summarizes Spring Break 2014

To end the official spring break week, the kids and I went to Iowa to visit my parents last Thursday for what was to be a day visit. The weather was nice, in the 60s. The kids and I checked out the latest updates to my parents house, ate lunch, then went into town to play at the park. While the kids played, I ran the trail with their dog, Kota.

Kota was out of shape! I was tugging at the dog to finish our 5 mile run. It is a pretty trail to run on though (although I could see it getting really hot in the summer). After the run (and giving Kota much of my water), my Dad and I played a few games of horse while the kids played. My Dad rarely missed and I rarely made it. Pretty typical, but it was fun.

After getting back to the farm, Addison and Asher went on farm adventures looking for treasure at my parents' old pig pen. So funny. I never went there as a kid (but there were pigs there!  Yuck!). Alivia chilled inside. I also checked out my parents new shower with 5 shower heads! It was insane!

When it came time to go home, nobody wanted to leave. So, the kids stayed the night while I went home, arriving home to an empty house (Chris went out with his Dad and brother). Pretty quiet.

Friday while the kids stayed in Iowa, I went on my 18 mile run. It was really windy, but my knee held up. I forgot my water bottle. Let's just say, you don't want to ever do that. Luckily, Walnut Creek had turned on their water and I drank from their water fountain at about mile 15. I was so thirsty!

The kids came home Friday afternoon after a day of shopping and eating out with Grandma and Grandpa. They had a blast. It is always nice for them to spend that special time with their Grandparents. They (and we) are lucky they have them.

They had Monday off, too, so we hit the zoo. It was colder than expected and insanely busy, so we didn't stay long. It was sad to send them back to school Tuesday morning. We had a fun break. But, reality had to return sooner or later.

They get a couple a days off around Easter. That will be here before we know it.

Lent 2014

So this post is late. Better late than never.

What did everyone give up for Lent? I have a friend who gave up sweets. Um, crazy! I gave up chocolate one year and thought even Jesus would think that was nuts. :)

Seriously, I stuck to my tradition and gave up facebook. Funny. I like it. I mean, I like not being on facebook. I don't miss it. I find it a relief. Yes, I'm out of touch, yes, I miss coupons, deals and school activities. But I don't miss gloating, bragging, endless baby pictures and selfies. Really, your kids are adorable but they are filling up my news feed. And, your mug is handsome and all but it would be better if I did not see it with a caption of, "am I the hottest man alive or what?!" I mean really, gag me.

So, I didn't delete you as a friend (although it may look that way if you noticed I was gone. And, how sweet or you to notice. :)). I am getting more real life things done, like play Uno with my kids, annoy my husband, or work on redoing Alivia's room for her upcoming 10th birthday.

If I'm lucky, I won't log back into facebook. I don't think I would miss it.

Skating Day!

Last night Addison had a sleepover at our home with her friend Kaitlyn. What better way to keep the fun going than to go skating in the afternoon with them! Alivia met up with her friend Katy and our neighbor Lizzy came along.

We arrived at open skate at 12:15. It was not too busy, thankfully. I even skated, too, holding hands with Addison and then going and tugging Alivia and her friends. Asher wouldn't dare hold my hand in public. :( It was fun. Chris ordered me my own roller blades, and I was so hoping they would arrive in time. Guess I'll wear them next time.

After a couple hours of skating, the kids came home and rushed off to play dates, Addi and Asher went to Kaitlyn and Will's house while Alivia crossed the street to Lizzy's. I looked around, free for an hour and a half, and ran to get groceries! Yah, what fun!

Another day gone. Spring break has been so fun. I hate to see it winding down. I feel so lucky to be home with my kids. So very lucky.

The Lego Movie Review

Spring Break Day 2 brought cloudy, windy skies (followed by some rain currently) and cooler temperatures. What a great day to catch a movie! So, we went to the local movies where they were having $5 Tuesdays with Free POPCORN! What a deal!

We checked in and selected our sticky seat. :) Just FYI, our theater at least, does not allow for sling sports bags. The guy totally checked my bag (luckily missing my water bottle inside). Seriously, he gave me the 5th degree. It was not as big as some handbags! Good to know for my next visit in a year to the movies. Just saying.

Anyway, back to the movie. The previews came on...without sound. It was actually kinda nice, peaceful in fact. They remembered to turn on the sound just before the feature presentation luckily.

The Lego Movie was okay. It kept the kids' attention. It did not keep my attention as well as lets say Frozen did, but that goes without saying. The kids loved it, and I guess that is what is important. My opinion does not matter too much.

After the movies, the kids all went to neighbors' homes to play. It was pretty weird having them all out of the house! I took Addison to piano, we ate dinner, and then Addison's sleepover guest arrived. It seems as if we have a sleepover every other night (Alivia just had one Sunday night at our home). I guess it is good the kids like to stay home with friends, at least for now we are fun.

What will tomorrow bring? The question is, will I have any energy to entertain tomorrow? We shall see.

Springing into the Forest

Monday we kicked off spring break 2014. We pondered going to the Lake (aka Lake of the Ozarks) with my parents, but I did not have a plan as to what we would do there. So the kids opted to stay here.

Day one: The forest. It was a beautiful, dare I say, SPRING, day in the mid 70s! The first NICE day of the year! What a perfect way to kick off spring break. We went to the forest, played on the indoor playset, had an outdoor picnic, walked the boardwalk seeing cardinals and deer on our walk, and then played at the acorn acres.

After all the nice fresh air, we met up with friends at the Ralston park. Alivia played with her friend Katy while Addi and Asher played with their friends Kaitlyn and Will. It was so nice we stayed for at least 2 hours!

Back at home, we ate dinner before taking Pippa on her first walk of the year. It was beautiful! Wish it could have continued, but we live in Nebraska.

Day one down...and what a fun day it was!