With Two In Tow

Tree Pictures!

2010-06-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

Every year near the boys birthday we take pictures in front of their tree. The pictures are never great but it's fun to see them and the tree grow. Of course right after I took this years photos Doug mowed the lawn but I couldn't convince the boys to do them again. Oh well, you get what you get! Here are tree pics starting in 2010 all the way back to 2004!

Back to Class

2010-01-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

So it's been awhile, ok a long while since I blogged. What can I say so let's move on.

So I joined a gym because let's face it, it's getting cold and raining like everyday and I don't need a easy excuse to not run. So off to the gym world I go. This is what I love about my gym, NOBODY KNOWS ME! I plan to keep it that way too. Even if I do know you I'm not about to stop and chit chat, I got some work to do!

Running indoors is horrible! The first day I was overheating so bad I thought I would pass out. Seriously people, those few fans in the corner don't cut it. There are fans built into the treadmills but when you're five feet tall on a good day you don't feel the air, AT ALL!

My favorite form of aerobics is step aerobics. Don't know what it is but I LOVE IT. So, I decided to take a class. Haven't done step in years, and I mean YEARS. My first thought was please don't let me fall down! I did pretty good, laughed at myself a lot but had fun. It wasn't until the end of class when the instructor wanted to do some ab work that I felt pain. OMG, she had me down on my elbows and feet for eternity! I was shaking and had sweat dripping off me only to hear her say now lift one leg.... yeah right! The next day I was sore as all get out! But I didn't fall down so it was a success!

Chop Chop!

2009-07-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to getting a haircut and boy did I get it cut! My hair has never been this long so I knew it was probably my only opportunity to donate to locks of love so I cut off 11 inches!

I'm glad I did it and the stylist said as much hair as I have they should be able to make 2-3 wigs out of my donation. Don't think that's the case but I said as thick as my hair is I expect to lose 5 pounds by getting it cut off!

Goal of Running a 5k Accomplished!

2009-07-15T13:10:00.001-07:00

I am proud to say I RAN a 5k! I still can't believe that a little over 2 months ago I dreamed about doing one and now I can say I DID IT! No one else did it for me and I didn't do it for anyone else, I did it for ME! Sometimes it is all about me!

Surprisingly the actual race wasn't as emotional as I thought it would be. I had a huge team of supporters at the race and it was so cool to see them there to support me. A lot of friends wished me luck via facebook and phone calls. I was so touched that so many people supported me on such a personal goal. It was truely inspiring.

Ok, now the details of the race. First off when I'm nervous I have to pee. Not a good thing when it's hot out and you should be drinking lots of water! I was super excited to get my bib (that's the number you pin to your shirt) and I was #647, I just might frame it - kidding, sort of.

When I run I don't listen to music or run with anyone, it's a very personal thing and I'm so focused. This race had 2000 runners all crammed into a 2 lane street. It was so crowded and there was so much noise I was a little cranky!

The first half of the race was uphill, wasn't expecting that! I could tell it wasn't going to be a good running day when I was super tired after the first mile but I DIDN'T STOP! I kept going along at my turtle speed and I eventually made it. It was super cool to see my family on the sidelines.

As usual I ended my run with a sprint and as I crossed the finish line I held both hands up and said YES! The thrill didn't last as long as I wanted because I had to pee! Right after the race I bee lined for the bathroom. Let's just say it was a good thing there wasn't a line!!!

I read an amazing quote in the July 2009 issue of Runner's World magazine:

"The miracle isn't that I finish. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

Oh so true! I'm getting teary eyed now just thinking about it. This was such a HUGE goal for me and I DID IT! I knew I could run 3.1 miles, I've been doing that for about a month. The miracle is that I didn't give up on day one when I COULD NOT run for 1 minute.

So what's next? Another 5k this weekend and then in September a 8k! I'll keep you posted! My sister in law Carrie and my mom also ran in the race. Here we are after the race.

Mariner's Game

2009-06-09T11:30:00.001-07:00

We try and go to at least one baseball game a year (one of the perks of having a husband that works for a sports network, free tickets!). We had a great time as usual.

Is there anything healthy to eat at a baseball game? Maybe some apples or carrots, anything. The boys got to experience cotton candy, nasty stuff in my opinion, but they loved seeing their tongue turn blue! We also got some kettle corn which is slowly growing on me.

It was a night game so the kids fell asleep in the car. But we are such good parents (haha) that we woke the kids up when we got home and made them brush their teeth. Our dentist would be proud!

Camping at Richardson Park

2009-06-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

We just finished camping trip #2 of the season. Every year for the boys birthday we go to Richardson Park in Eugene Oregon. This campground has some of the most private sites we've seen. We really like it there.

For the boys birthday we always get the same 2 spots, #37 and #38. My Dad takes one and we take the other and my sister in law and her family tent camp with us too. It's perfect. The boys have a lot of green grass to play in. My dad puts up a swimming pool and this year he did one step further and got a sprinkler. All the other campers were jealous because it was so hot!

There's a lake there for going out on a boat, playground, huge area to swim or play in the fields of grass. It's really a fun place. This is our 3rd year camping there and I don't see it ending any time soon.

Their cake was Super Mario Brothers and for a gift they got a volcano to erupt. Volcano was a big let down but the cake was super cool so I guess it all worked out in the end.

Couch to 5k Update!

2009-06-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

I'm on week 4 of the Couch to 5k program. I really like this program and can't recommend it enough for the out of shape/can't run unless being chased person.

So week one had me gasping for breath while running one minute and walking one minute for 20 minutes. I'm now up to running 5 minutes and walking 2 minutes for 35 minutes. I know that's still a long ways off from completing a 5k but progress is progress no matter how small!

So I've learned a few things in the last 4 weeks about running and thought I would share.

Running on garbage days suck.
Running in cotton pants on a hot day makes it look like I peed my pants.
My new Nike dri fit socks have a L and a R on them. Glad I had them on the right feet when I noticed that!
My stop watch speeds up when I'm walking and slows down when I'm running. Well, it seems that way anyway.

The Big 05!

2009-05-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

My boys are 5 years old and I am so excited! I know lots of people say they grow up too fast but I haven't felt that yet, maybe it's a twin thing, I don't know but I'm excited!

We had a great day on their birthday. My mom and I decorated the dining room with streamers and balloons and got all the presents out so when they woke up they were super surprised! I made a old family breakfast recipe called cocoa gravy and the boys ATE IT UP! I mean how can their little tummies hold so much food?

For lunch we went to a little Seattle tourist hot spot, you may have heard of it, The Space Noodle! The boys had never been so we have been waiting for their birthday to go. IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! They loved it. Yes it is expensive to eat there but, you get a free ride up (normally $16.50 for adults), vallet parking for only $8 for 4 hours (you know how horrible parking is downtown) and the best views in town. It was totally worth it!

We played at the International Fountain and walked around downtown. Then it was time to go home, have banana splits and a birthday swim in the hot tub! It was a great day.

Word to the wise, Transformers suck! We got the boys a few transformers and I don't know how to "transform" them into their different shapes. Most frustrating toy ever! I might need to hire a 10 year old to teach me how these things work. For ages 4 and up yeah right!

Couch To 5k!

2009-05-18T10:31:00.001-07:00

I've always wanted to be a runner! My BFF Carrie just ran a marathon, yes a MARATHON, and I'm just in awe at her accompolishment. She wasn't a runner before this but she found a training schedule, stuck to it, and ran a MARATHON!

Needless to say it inspired me. I've always wanted to run my local towns 5k but have never gotten up off the couch to train for it until now. I went online and found a training plan to run a 5k, oddly it's called Couch to 5k. It's really good because it's based on time intervals. It starts out running for 1 minute than walking for 1 minute and repeat for 20 minutes. Sounds easy enough, who can't run for 1 minute? Well, me! I will be totally honest that first day I was gasping for air and wondering what I got myself into only to look at my stop watch and see it had only been 47 seconds! What?

But I stuck with it because I really really want to run this 5k. I was sore as all get out that day and the next but here's the cool thing about the Couch to 5k, it knows you are totally out of shape so you only have to run 3x a week so I didn't have to run the next day, it was a scheduled REST day! Yahoo!

The rest of the week went much better and I saw a lot of progress! I just started week 2 and still going strong! Plus it's really fun, did I just say running is fun?

Preschool Graduation

2009-05-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

My boys are graduates, well of preschool that is! Normally preschools don't do a big graduation ceremony but when you have a party planner mom in your child's class you get a grand ceremony!

We had the ceremony at a local coffee shop last night. Sounded great in theory until bedtime when the hot chocolate and cake really kicked in! They stayed up a little past their bedtime. OK A LOT! Oh well, all in good fun.

The ceremony started with the kids walking in to Pomp and Circumstance (yes, I'm not kidding when I say the mom is a party planner!) wearing graduation hats, well mine weren't but that was to be expected!

Then they sang a couple of songs, well mine didn't and that was to be expected too. At least they stood up there though, that alone was a huge improvement over last time. Colby kept looking at the cake during the ceremony, you could see where his priorities were!

After the handing out of diplomas, can't graduate without a diploma, it was time for cake. So like any mom I really wanted a picture with them in their graduation hats so the rule was if you wanted cake, you had to put on your hat for a picture. Worked like a charm! Hat was off in 20 seconds and everyone got what they wanted.

Camping at Grayland, WA

2009-05-12T13:18:00.001-07:00

We had a great Mother's Day Weekend camping at Grayland Beach State Park. This campground is awesome! Sites 61-113 are all on loops and they back to the sand dunes. It was great because the kids got to ride bikes around the loop, and then we could just walk over the dune to the beach. Awesome!

We went with the Jones family, this was our first time camping with them and it was great! The kids kept going back and forth between campsites and playing together all day long. Plus we took turns on dinners so that made it less work too!

In Grayland you can drive on the beach. This is still a strange concept to me but it is fun! The boys loved having Doug do circles around and around and around. It's only May but those crazy boys were in the ocean water. They had an absolute blast running and jumping over waves.

Needless to say, I have a ton of laundry to do and my car is full of sand. But my homemade meals went over really good!

Just in case you want to camp at Grayland, here are our favorite sites for a trailer. Site 67,68, 88,89,90,91,92,93,97,98,99,100,101.

Unprocessed and Green

2009-05-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend we head off for our first camping trip of the season. I LOVE camping, although it is a lot of work before, during, and after!

For about 2 years now I've really cut back on processed foods and have tried to be more eco-friendly but when it comes to camping I go back to my old ways. This year I'm really going to try but I would LOVE some suggestions on how to be unprocessed and green while camping.

I've prepacked my dry ingredients for pancakes and then I can add in the wet ones while there. That was pretty easy. And of course bacon and eggs is easy enough.

But dinner? I guess I should have made a double batch of chili up and froze half. Next time for sure! We are doing Sloppy Joe's but I still have to pack a bunch of little things to add to it. Not fun when you are in a small trailer. Thank goodness we have a fridge!

I would love some ideas if you have any.

School Pictures - Kind Of

2009-05-06T14:31:00.001-07:00

When I was a little girl I didn't like my picture taken. I remember in Kindergarten I cried when it was my turn, they wiped the tears away and then took the picture. Little did I know this would come back to bite me. My boys are the same way but WORSE!

Preschool picture day was a few months back. I didn't think much of it besides picking out their clothes. I get a phone call from the teacher saying they don't want their picture taken. Sad to say I was mad! Can't blame them since I was the same way but they wouldn't even stand up for the photographer.

So when we got home after school I made them stand outside and I took their school picture. Colby is in the gray shirt and Cameron in the red one.

Hope it goes better next year!

Field Trip To The Farm

2009-04-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

Today we had our preschool field trip to The Farm (yes, that's the real name) in Snohomish. Farm people are so simple I just love it! First I have to say there was one girl wearing white pants and another girl wearing a white jacket and they were still clean when the field trip was over. Girls must be very different than boys. Even in jeans and a flannel jacket my boys had grass stains all over them.

The field trip started out with a wagon ride where we sat on bales of hay and Farmer Ben drove us around what will be a giant pumpkin patch come fall. He even let the kids plant a pumpkin seed! I'm sure they will be asking which pumpkin is theirs come fall.

Then they got to run through a barn filled with bales of hay that was a maze and once you made it to the top there was a cool slide to go down. Even their teacher went down the slide (I have video proof of her doing it but I'm not that mean to post it!)

Then they got to plant some marigold in a pot to take home with them and watch it grow, that is if mom doesn't kill it first!

The best part of course was the end, where they got to eat ice cream! They had a lot of fun. Course all they really had to do was go and visit Grandpa Don since he has a farm, need to talk him into a hay maze though.

Tulip Fields and Tractors!

2009-04-28T17:50:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Our first attempt was made on Sunday afternoon, I don't know what we were thinking, the traffic was horrible! I-5 was backed up 30 miles away from the exit, just for tulips! We turned around and went home. Glad we did, we heard from a friend there were 300 people waiting in line to visit tulip fields. Am I missing something here? There's a line for tulips????

Anyway, we made it up there on Monday afternoon, no traffic, not too many people, just windy. We went to Roozengaarde first. Roozengaarde was fun because they had a ton of different varieties of tulips on display like a show garden. Then in the fields they had miles and miles of tulips. It was a sight to see! The fields only had red and pink when we were there but it was still a sight! Kind of a walk to get out there but totally worth it!

Next we went to Tulip Town. Tulip Town had a few tulips on display but they were all protected with wire to keep people out. The fields were pretty because they had a lot of different colors but only a quarter of the amount that Roozengaarde had. There was a trolley so we thought the boys would love a Trolley Ride and that it would take us out to some distant fields. NO! It was really lame.

Then we just drove around. It was pretty cool to see all the farm land, super cute houses, farm animals and lots and lots of tractors. It was a fun afternoon, pretty inexpensive, and great family time. Word to the wise, there must not be any running water in farm country because none of these places had real bathrooms, only porta potties. And with two in tow, that's just not fun!