Monday, April 28, 2008

Our Whirlwind Weekend!

What a busy and eventful few days we had! We left Thursday evening to visit our friends, Stephanie and Josh, in Virginia. We had a great time visiting with them and their two little boys, Will (almost 2) and Michael (3 months). Our Peanut was in LOVE with Baby Michael.
(We thought about playing a mean trick and sending this out to everyone with a message that said, "Welcome to the newest member of our family", but we decided to not create a controversy.) :o)

On Friday, we took the kids to the Reston Zoo for a little bit in the almost 90-degree heat, and they seemed to really have fun! The two older ones took off in different directions (of course!), and they also got to feed some of the animals. We took off Friday afternoon to catch our niece's soccer game in Fredericksburg, VA, and then went to my sister's house. We took in our other niece's soccer game on Saturday morning (battling the almost 90-degree heat once again), then relaxed at their house for most of the day. We wrapped up the evening with some ice cream (hence the drippy chins)...

and then a round-robin badminton tournament that led to a broken fence door. (Don't ask.) :o)

Sunday brought church in the morning, board games, lunch, naps, and then packing up to leave and meet up with Curt's youngest brother in Maryland for dinner on our way home. When we walked in the door at 9pm last night, we were ready to crash! We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our friends and family, even if it had to be for a short time. We miss you guys! :o)

Thursday, April 24, 2008

My Triangle

I'll make this the last post for today, I promise!

I just couldn't resist putting this on here. I saw this on Sesame Street a few months ago and again this week, and we just think it's a great parody. Enjoy James Blunt's "My Triangle", sung to the tune of his song "Beautiful". You'll find yourself singing the words throughout the day. :o) (Click the "play" arrow in the middle.)

Do you see what I see???

We have a big, beautiful butterfly bush outside of our kitchen window, and last year a robin built a nest and laid her eggs. From the upstairs window, we got to see the babies. Unfortunately, they were blown out and died in a windstorm. :(

Well, look what we found last weekend:


There they are, and there's the robin, taking care of her eggs! By the first weekend in May, we should be seeing babies! I'll keep you posted. :)

Monday, April 21, 2008

The Runner in Me

I came to a big realization last week: I miss running and racing. Not just a little. A lot. I miss short training runs, long runs, the competitiveness of races, the relief and satisfaction you feel when it's over...all of it.

It all came to a head after a stressful Friday morning. I woke up tired, and my little Peanut, who threw up the night before, also woke up on the wrong side of the big girl bed, not acting herself. So, we decided to have a low-key morning of television watching and oatmeal cookie baking. Perfect for me! As we got ready for a grocery store trip to get the ingredients we needed, I noticed Danae looking behind my couch, mumbling something. She then said, "Look, Mommy! The apples are back there, and the ants came for food!" Indeed, as I pulled the couch away from the wall, there lay Danae's plate and sliced apples from two days prior, as well as a HUGE colony of ants. That would explain the random ants I was finding in the living room and kitchen. Grrr.

After a 40-minute clean-up and quick potty break, we were ready to go to the store...until Danae said, "Hey Mommy! Look what I found in the couch!" There she was, pulling a handful of fruit snacks from the depths of my couch. Grrr. At least they were from an hour earlier and didn't draw in any more ants!

Finally, off to the store and home, making cookie dough. That is, until I look over and see my little helper dumping spoonfuls of oats into my big storage container of flour. Grrr. After digging out the oats, we continue mixing...until Little Helper starts making funny noises. She suddenly coughs, and a BIG cloud of white flies from her mouth. I just had to laugh as I explained that we don't eat flour by itself and took my coughing, flour-spewing child to the kitchen sink to continue her spraying of the white stuff.

Saturday morning was when the "I miss running" feeling arrived. We biked (hey, at least I can still do that!) to a 5K in our town (in which I ran and finished first in my age group last year), and as we sat there at the finish line, I ached to just get up and run the thing! Knowing that running causes a flurry of Braxton-Hicks contractions in my 5 1/2-month pregnant belly kept me from getting up and going, but all of those old feelings were there...especially wanting some stress relief and a bit of competition.

Don't get me wrong: I definitely miss running and racing, but I'm perfectly fine being pregnant and taking a break. Races will always be there, and I can live vicariously by watching others and hearing their stories. As far as stress relief goes, evening walks, occasional bike rides, and house cleaning will have to do. For now, I'll continue to sit here on the couch (sans ants), watch the 112th Boston Marathon on television today, cheer on a few of the elites, and wait for the cool, fall weather to do a comeback run and race. :o)

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Future Worship Leader

Here's a short video of our Peanut, singing a medley of the Sunday school songs she knows. (I tried to e-mail this to all you family members out there, but it wouldn't work...this will have to do.) :o) Click the "play" arrow in the middle of the picture.
Enjoy today!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Retreat Weekend

This past weekend was our 3rd annual connection group retreat with our group from church. We go to an AWESOME cabin that's under 2 hours away and secluded just enough so that you feel you are getting away completely but still close to civilization. What a wonderful time of relaxing, fellowship, and getting to know others on a deeper level. In all, there were 20 of us adults and 3 toddlers. Everyone got along great, the kids played so well together, Saturday was BEAUTIFUL (temps in the 70's!!!), and I just loved the time we had.

Here are some pics of the fun. Thanks, everyone, for a great time. I only wish it lasted a little longer! :o)
For more pictures, click on "Our Online Albums".

Monday, April 7, 2008

Little Thief

Ohhhhh...there's the plate of fruit I cut up to go with dinner!
I thought I was losing my mind.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Pregnancy Pics

I've had a few questions from friends and family who haven't seen me in a while as to how I I am looking these days. One word: large. No, really...I'm pretty much on the same gaining track as I was with my Little Miss, but the weight seems to be going in some different places! Ugh! So, here's a few pictures for your enjoyment.


Three Months

Four Months

Five Months (taken by my Peanut)