FINALLY!

As of today, all cards and gifts have been shipped out, and only one week late. It's sad when "only being a week late" is doing good but I'll take what I can. :-)

Sad Day

I am back to work today but am failing miserably at getting any work done. It is a bright and beautiful sunny day but the mood here is heavy and dark. We found out that our CEO lost his young son on Christmas Day in a tragic accident. My heart breaks for them all...

:-(

Toot Humor

Liam got a whoopie cushion in his stocking (thanks Kenneth!). It has provided an endless source of comedy for BOTH boys who seem to find the noise not only fascinating, but hysterical. I must admit, it is pretty funny!

"Merry Christmas-tree!!"

This is what Liam says every so often, 'Merry Christmas-tree!" Speaking of, we tore down ye ol' Christmas tree today. I asked Liam this morning if we should take it down and he he said "YEAH!!!!!" and then later he said "I think I'm maybe a little sad that our tree is coming down..." which is kind of how I felt. It was such a pretty little tree (handpicked by Liam). I was getting tired of cleaning up the needles and removing said needles from Sawyer's mits. All in all we had a great day although Mommy & Daddy (& Grandma Karen!) were wiped out by the end of the day. It was probably one of my favorite Christmases. The boys were so captivated by it all and the weather was beautiful (50's and sunny) so I even managed to sneak a run in. Very nice but I am glad to resume some normalcy. Liam was in sensory overload from all of the presents and Beanie just wanted to climb up the boxes. Here are some pics from the past two days.

Liam's New Fascination

Well, it would seem that my 4 year old is morphing into a typical male. Suddenly, and rather unexpectedly, he has become *obsessed* with "boobies." He talks about them all the time now, draws them on his "Mommy" pictures, and even tried to put them on the gingerbread cookies we baked today. He looked at the picture of me dressed up and he said "It's Mommy and boobies!!" When I asked him why all of the sudden he is talking about "boobies," he said "because boobies are FUN!!!" I have caught him trying to grab Emily's chest as well as my own--which I have let him know under no uncertain terms is NOT ok. He let me know that "one day Sammy will have boobies too!!"

Sigh.

I suppose it is that time in a child's development where they become aware of the differences between boys and girls. I was just hoping to be spared it until the children were in their 20's...

Why am I still awake?

It is way past my bedtime but I thought I would pop in quickly just to post something since I haven't been online in a while. Between visitors, the holidays and various illnesses it has been hard to stay up to date. I still have so much to do before Thursday--I guess I will get done what I can done. Tonight was gift wrapping, tomorrow is cookie baking and toy assembly. Better stock up on coffee...

'Tis the Season to be Heavin'

Just when I thought we were out of the woods with the kids catching Ken's awful bug, I got a call at work from Emily saying that Sawyer woke from his nap covered in vomit and very upset (just in time for Grandma Karen's visit today!). She said he refuses to drink anything and his diaper is bone dry. :-( As of presstime he has no fever...keep all fingers crossed that maybe it was just a one-time thing.

(yeah right).

:-(

The Fam

Here is a photo from last saturday--it was our company holiday party so Ken & I got all dressed up for a change. Here is the photo to document that yes,we do actually wear clothes other then running clothes...

Family, Snow and the Flu

This weekend my Mom & sister Lisa flew in to spend some time with us. We were all very excited to have them visit and the boys especially enjoyed having Grandma and "Alisia" (as Liam kept calling her) there to spoil them. We had a very nice visit and I loved having my family here. On Friday we ladies got the boys their Christmas presents, went to lunch and then Ken & I took Mom & Lisa on a nice hike up into the mountains with the pups which they loved. They did a great job on the hike --especially for being flatlanders and my 67 yo Mother was quite pleased that she made it farther then any other family members who had come out to visit ever had. The weather was mild (50's) and as per the norm, sunny. Unfortunately, friday night Ken got extremely ill and spent the rest of the visit miserable and in bed. Today he is feeling a bit more like himself but still not 100%. I am hoping beyond all hope that the boys do not get what he has. Sawyer has refused to nap all day today so I am hoping it is just his teeth that are bothering him and nothing more... Also today the weather took a turn. We now have about 6 inches of snow and the weather is currently negative 4. Mom & Lisa picked a good day to head back east! I am tired and am heading to bed--I've been awake since 4:30am and I can feel it!

First "Real" Snow

This morning we woke up to a few inches of snow and chilly temps (20). Two days ago I was out running in shorts and a tank top--today I was bundled up to the max and I was STILL cold. It was too cold for the boys to go out and play and besides, Liam has outgrown his snowsuit and managed to lose BOTH sets of gloves this past week.

Your Daily Liam (note: may upset vegetarians)

Last night Liam and I were eating dinner together while Ken was downstairs working. Lately, Ken has been trying to teach Liam where meat and all food in general comes from. He feels it is important that the children know where food comes from and not take for granted that it just "appears" at the table. So Ken has explained in detail, that in order for it to become "meat" the animal has to be killed first. Surprisingly, it has not fazed Liam--the boy is primarily a carnivore and would eat meat and carbs alone if allowed. He has, however, asked many questions. "Mommy, do we have to kill a cow for milk" "How do they kill the cow?" "Do we have to kill it?" "What other animals do we eat?"

Last night, I was eating a veggie burger when out of the blue Liam asked "So did you die the cow for that hamburger?" Once I figured out he meant "Die" and not "dye" I told him that no, it was a pretend hamburger made out of vegetables. He thought about it a second then asked "But hamburger is made out of cow! How can you have a hamburger if it isn't made of meat?" I tried to explain to him that some people don't like meat so they eat "pretend meat" which seemed to confuse him more. So finally I answered, "Only vegetables had to die for this kind of hamburger." That seemed to satisfy him, for now anyway. Liam is REALLY into semantics and will question you fiercely if it "does not compute". The teen years should be a blast...

Well, it's finally happened

I got home from work today to read the kid's daily Emily report (what they did, what they ate, whether or not they pooped, etc.) Today's report said "Liam had a great day here but had trouble listening at school and got put in the 'uh-oh' chair..." I read it aloud and asked Liam, 'Oh no Liam, what did you do to end up in the Uh-Oh chair???" He looked at me and suddenly his eyes welled up and he burst into breathless tears and sobs and said "I don't want to tell you!!" I kept asking him to please tell me and he said "I'm scared you'll get mad!!!" It took nearly an hour of him crying and throwing mini-tantrums before he was willing to talk about it. Ken told me that apparently in class the teacher was talking and Liam kept chatting. Miss Lori asked him to be quiet and he got frustrated and snapped some frustrated retort back. I can imagine it went something like this:

Miss Lori: "Liam you need to be quiet now while I am talking"
Liam: (keeps chattering--more than likely TO Miss Lori)
Miss Lori: "Liam I asked you to stop talking!"
Liam: "HEY! I am trying to TELL you a QUESTION!!!"

Liam got sent to the dreaded Uh-Oh chair. I have heard him mention with dread the Uh-Oh chair. "It's a red chair with a yellow frowny face on it...". Liam has told me countless times how he NEVER wants to get sent to the Uh-oh chair. Today after I finally got the truth out of him he told me that he didn't mean to yell back at Miss Lori and that he 'just forgot" (which is his new line of defense lately). He then said proudly that he did NOT cry when he got sent to the chair, but I bet dollars to donuts that he wanted to. After his confession he asked me "Are you going to write Santa a letter now?" (Yesterday I threatened to write Ol St. Nick a letter to let him know that he could probably skip our house this year since my boys had been misbehaving...) I told Liam that I would not mail the letter if he could be good. He told me "I think I will be really good from now on." We made a deal that first thing on Wednesday he has to go and apologize to Miss Lori for his behavior. The teachers said that they NEVER have problems with Liam and they were so shocked today because it was so unlike him. As Liam said later "sometimes I just feel like being a little naughty." I guess I have days like that too.

Snow Day

Last night it started to snow a little bit--much to the joy of one Liam J. He could not wait to see if the snow would still be there in the morning when we woke up. Per the normal "snow day" routine, Liam asked for hot cocoa as soon as he woke up. "When it snows you drink hot cocoa and that will keep the mosquitos away!" (And who doesn't hate those pesky winter mosquitos?!) Later in the morning we got all bundled up and we went out back to build miniature snowpeople. Sawyer did NOT like getting bundled up and sat on the ground and cried most of the time. His snowsuit is a bit on the large side (as are the boots) so he basically was rendered immobile which he did not appreciate one little bit. He tried to take one step, fell flat on the snow and smack onto his poor little face. It wasn't until we came inside and peeled off the layers so he could move again was he happy. He LOVES to be outside, just not restricted.

Liam of course had lots of fun despite a recurring mitten malfunction. Winter is here--if only for the day. As I type this the sun is out and it will all be melted by afternoon. Gotta love Colorado!

The Sweetest Thing

This morning I had both boys in the room with me as I tried to get ready for work. As I was blowing my hair dry I watched both boys in the reflection of the big mirror. They were sitting on the floor playing quite well together. Suddenly out of the blue Liam leaned over and planted a sweet little kiss on Sawyer's scraped up nose. Sawyer leaned in and then smiled the biggest gummy grin I have ever seen.

Sweetness, thy name is Liam & Sawyer. At least right now anyway. ;-)

Your Daily Liam

The question asked at preschool: "What I am Most Thankful For..."

Liam's answer: "The house painter" (When I asked him about this he said "I just liked watching them paint!")

And also tonight: "Mom, heaven is another name for Jail." ?????? WHERE he ever heard this I'll never know...

Beanie Meets Mantle

Sigh. This child is going to give me grey hair. What you can't see is the bruise and scrape on the side of his face and the big bump on the top of his head. The ironic thing?? I was just looking up "Fireplace Cushions" at work today.

Tired

A tired Monday morning hello. For some reason last night I was wide awake from 1:30 until 3:30, and then Sawyer woke up wailing at 4:00 (teething trauma) so I took care of him, got back to bed and was called into service by Liam who had wet the bed at 4:30. Ken had to be up at 4:40 to get ready to catch an early flight so I never did get back to sleep. We crossed paths at 4:45 as I was coming up from doing a load of pee laundry and he was headed downstairs to grab some clothes. (Ken is a "pack your bags the morning of the trip" kind of guy). There is only so much a cup of coffee can do...

Ken is in San Francisco for two days so it will be just the lads and I. I always have these grand ideas for what special Mommy & Boy things we can do when I get home and Ken is out of town "Let's bake cookies! Let's make a pinecone turkey! Let's play a game! Let's order a pizza and watch Nightmare before Christmas!" but in reality it is "Let's do laundry! Let's get you fed. Let's give you a bath. Let's go to bed soon so Mommy can fall into a deep, deep sleep." I often imagine what it might be like to stay home and actually be able to accomplish ALL of the things I intend to do everyday without having to cram it all into 2 hours at night. I just hope and pray (and worry) that the time I do get to spend with the boys at night is enough to matter to them. When I get home and I am tired and frazzled and I open up the door and Sawyer comes running to me and crying at my feet to be picked up and Liam runs to me and starts talking loudly about his day (to drown out Sawyer's pleas to be held) I remind myself that the hours with my boys are precious few. No matter how tired I am, or how much needs to be done I need to just stop and live in the moment--however crazy that moment is.

Hooray for Liam!!!!

Today was a big day for Liam...he is finally able to click his tongue!! While this might not seem like a big deal to most people, for Liam it is HUGE! Liam has an Oral Apraxia which basically means his tongue and brain don't always speak the same language. He was never able to click his tongue, blow bubbles, sip through straws or eat or drink without making a major mess. All of this is due to lack of motor control in his tongue which in turn creates an embarrassing drool problem (all because his tongue lacks the muscular control). Luckily it never affected his speech. Most people are able to touch their tongues to the left and right side of their mouthes, puff out their cheeks, etc. Liam has never been able to do any of those things. Now with the help of his wonderful speech therapist he is able to move his tongue to BOTH sides of his mouth, blow bubbles, click his tongue, etc. and slowly we are starting to see a definite improvement in his drooling. He was *SO* proud of himself for being able to click his tongue that he showed the therapist the minute he got into her office. I literally teared up watching how proud and happy he was with his accomplishment. He used to hear Sawyer click his tongue and he would look at me sad and discouraged and say "Why can't I do that Mommy?" If I could pick out one thing that my children would learn from me it would be that they should NEVER give up trying. This is something I try to reinforce with Liam, who tends to get discouraged easily. I am hoping that having gone through this process with his speech therapist, he is seeing JUST how far he has come.

Good job sweet boy--I am so very proud of you!

Monday, Monday

It was a crazy Monday after a rather lovely weekend of firehouse visits, park playing and a dinner party for Mommy & Daddy. The weather has been positively gorgeous--near 70 and it looks like it will be that way for the better part of a week. I actually ran in shorts and a tank top today and was warm. I know that next week at this time we could have two feet of snow--gotta love Colorado.

"Puppy doesn't WANT to eat his dinner"

Oh joy of joys!!! Liam and his best buddy Sam have been obsessed lately with playing "puppies!". From dawn to dusk the kids act, talk, eat and drink like dogs. They are FIXATED on this new game and it is driving every adult in the house insane. It has gotten so bad that tonight I actually caught Liam lapping up his milk from his cup like a dog. I said "WHAT ARE YOU DOING???!!!" and he said "this is how puppy drinks his milk!" When I told him puppy better learn REAL quick to drink out of his cup like a boy again, he said "Puppy does NOT care!" and continued to do it anyway. The minute Sam comes here she is also a puppy and the two of them crawl around on all fours barking, panting and wimpering. We are all hoping that this new phase will end soon or else two little puppies might get sent to the pound...

Tired, Potential Long Night Ahead

I came home from work tonight to find Beanie crying at the tops of his lungs, not wanting to eat much and not drinking. He is working on two bottom teeth and not at ALL happy about it. I noticed when I was putting him to bed that he was tugging on his ears...so I HOPE that teething is the worst of it and not an ear infection. He (knocking on wood) has never had one and I pray we can avoid all the ear infections that his brother went through every time he cut a tooth. His Motrin wears off at midnight, so we'll know one way or the other then.

Here's hoping that it is just teeth...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEANIE BABY!!!!!!!

We love you with all our hearts. Thanks for joining our family one year ago tonight!


PS: Here is some cake footage. As we thought, he got the hang of it pretty quickly!

TO DOs

My how it has been a very, very long week and yet, I still feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. I realized much to my horror this morning that both of the boys have outgrown nearly all their clothes. I am not sure WHEN this happened (I think sometime during this long week) but it definitely happened. Either that or or dryer has shrunk everything drastically. Stuff I bought them in the Fall is now too short (Liam) or too tight (ummm...guess who?). So now my TO-DO List has expanded for the weekend. This is what I have to get done today at lunch...

FRIDAY LUNCHTIME TO-DO:
• Run/then shower/then change (sidebar: Some might say "Just skip the run!" If I don't run, I could hurt someone with pent up energy.)
• Go to store and get Beanie at least a few little birthday items to open (The grandma's have sent PLENTY to keep him busy tomorrow!!!),
• Get two new convertible car seats (one for each car)
• Pick up lunch somewhere

AND, if I have time on my way home from work:
Swing by grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner tonight
Have nice fireman install new carseat in my filthy vehicle.

Yeah, I think I can get it all done...

A Year Ago Today...

I was in labor with the Bean. Today was the start of the very LONG three days of labor, in and out of the hospital (3 times!) and the eventual extraction of Beanie on the 8th, (but only after pushing hard for nearly 4 hours and the use of forceps and other distasteful necessities). This alone should have been a BIG tip off of what is very much a Beanie trait--stubborn determination. The child has quite the temper when it interferes with what he has set his mind to doing...like trying to climb up on a box in order to climb up on the dresser, or trying to walk alone down a full flight of stairs like a big boy. All grey hair accumulation will be a direct result of this child--for this I am certain. We have taken to calling him a bulldozer--because from the moment he has been able to propel himself forward he has refused to go *around* anything. He goes over or through. Now that he is walking (actually, he is RUNNING now and I am not even joking!) he plows right through everything and everyone (Liam, dogs, etc.) to get to his destination. If he can use his powers for good, and not evil, his determination will serve him well in life! ;-

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Last night after the election results rolled in, I tried to calm down and come off cloud nine and let it all sink in. I went in to check on the boys, as I always do before I go to bed when suddenly, it hit me. I realized that my children will never know the historic significance of what happened last night. They will never know anything different that a black man is president. And I realized what a very good thing that is!!!. To them, they will grow up accepting that any PERSON, regardless of race or gender can be president and that alone gives me hope. I feel like I woke up to a new world today and the optimism that it is generating is palpable. You can feel it and see it just about everywhere you look. I know not everyone is a fan but since this is my blog, I get to say whatever I want so pardon me if you disagree! ;-)

There is so much work ahead. Let's work together to try and fix what has been broken the past 8 years.

Yeah Obama Family. Yeah America!

Get Out & Vote!!

This morning I got up early to go to my gym and work out and vote. My gym luckily is also my polling place (it is in a community center). I was number 19 in line. I had studied my Issue Booklet while I was on the elliptical trainer and had my cheat sheet filled out so that when it was my turn to vote, I was prepared. I must say that in the 20 years that I have been voting I have NEVER seen so much interest and enthusiasm as I have this year. It is a wonderful and powerful thing to be on the cusp of history.

Halloween Revisited

I apologize for being so delinquent in posting. I pinched a nerve in my neck this past week (BIKE riding, of all things) and it wasn't until today that I finally feel good. The ironic thing is that I rode the bike last Sunday because I thought I should give my body a break from running two marathons back to back. Murphy's Law I suppose...

In any case, here are a few photos of the lads in their costumes. Note these pics were not taken Halloween night...Liam was out the door and over at the neighbors before we could grab the camera and Beanie...he was LESS than thrilled with the whole concept. Methinks that next year he will catch on mighty quick. He has already figured out that the stuff in the bright wrappers that Mommy & Daddy and Liam keep eating is something he feels he should be a part of. I think Beanie makes an adorable Bee and Liam...well, he's the cutest arachnid EVER!

UGH. Mom told me there'd be days like this...

It has been a tough week with Liam. Every so often he has a doozy of a bad day and they are normally few and far between but this week...we've averaged a few truly rotten days. It is at the point now that he might not get to go Trick or Treating. We've taken away toys, tv, and all other privileges but nothing seems to be working. I'm tired and frustrated and feeling rather deflated and ineffective. A woman I work with says "You should beat his butt black and blue like I did my kids when they misbehave like that!" but Ken & I are really trying to teach him to be respectful by choice and not out of fear. (We have never spanked him and really don't want to ever have to unless it is a MAJOR violation--like doing something that could seriously harm him or his brother for instance.) After he has these kind of days he is normally very good and apologetic and we don't see another for a month but lately...not so much. I am not sure if it is his age, school, or what? I feel at a loss. I wander if other parents go through these types of things or if it is just us? Then I start to worry that it is something more than just a tantrum and then I get sad and worried all over again and then feel bad for even thinking it. This mornings episode started (as they have been lately) with me leaving for work and him not wanting me to go. He got upset and asked me to stay. Add this to Sawyer screaming and crying clinging to my leg (major separation anxiety) and I just feel like crying. Mom, you always remind me what Grandma told you..Nobody ever said parenting was easy and boyhowdy! you weren't kidding!

:-(

"But what if I need LOVE when you're at work?"

Last night both of the boys were especially snuggly. I sat with them in my lap for a long, long time. We got on the topic of LOVE (Liam says this word with much emphasis) and I was telling Liam how much we loved he and Sawyer and how we would love them forever and ever no matter what. Liam asked "Where do you get LOVE?" and I told him it comes from inside our hearts and that every time I saw them or thought about them my love would grow even more and more and that every day I had more love for them both. Liam then asked "What if you run out of LOVE??" and I explained that I would NEVER run out of love and that I will hug and kiss him always. Then he looked at me, concerned and said "But what if I need LOVE when you are at work?" I told him he could always pick up the phone and call me and I would blow him kisses into the phone. Then we had to act it out so he would know what to do. He then said "I know Mommy. If Daddy is home I can go and get LOVE from him too!" I half expected him to call me today but I guess he had enough LOVE to carry him through until I get off work.

Sigh. Oh how I LOVE my guys!

It wouldn't be a weekend without a plumbing problem...

Last weekend we had the misfortune of dealing with a broken water pipe that sprayed all over our basement. This weekend was a toilet that overflowed...and flowed and flowed all over the bathroom floor after Liam flushed it. We heard him say "oh it keeps swirling and swirling. It's still swirling! Why is it still swirling Daddy???!!" Ken had to wade through the water and muck and then trek to the Hardware store when we realized we didn't have a plunger. Later we were trying to figure out why it flooded...we were fairly confident that the poo from Sawyer's diaper couldn't have done it... THis morning Ken was asking Liam "Hey buddy, did you throw something in the potty yesterday?? You can tell me, I won't get mad." Liam looked at me, tried not to smile and said "NO!" I looked at him and said "Are you SURE Liam??? Did you accidently knock something in the potty?" Which he replied, "Yes. I did. I dropped Sawyer's toy ("It was the red circle that had a number one on it") in the potty when I tried to flush it and it just went down the drain. And one other time I dropped a wheel from my truck and it got flushed down." Eegads. No wonder we are having plumbing issues.

Things That Make Me Wonder...

So driving into work this morning I happened to look out the side of my window and I noticed that sitting on the side of the road was a fully decorated, untouched, pink birthday cake. It was even still in its protective plastic covering. Why? I have no idea. Did someone stop along that country road to change a tire or look at the view and decide that they didn't have room in their car anymore so they dropped the cake off? Did they suddenly remember they were supposed to be on a diet and the guilt overcame them so they immediately pulled the car over and ditched the offensive confection? Or was the cake possibly for a significant other, and on the way to give them their cake, they got into a horrific fight over the phone causing the cake giver to toss the cell phone, pull the car over abruptly and scream "Screw this relationship. You just cost yourself one sweet cake buddy!"

Hmmmmm. Forget the mystery of the Pyramids. *THIS* is the stuff that will keep me up at night.

Portland Revisited...

Here is a picture from my rainy Portland marathon two weeks ago. Note the droopy, saggy visor that was perpetually down in my eyes the ENTIRE time. There are a few pictures where I actually look like I am a mentally handicapped runner--and I am being totally serious when I say that... I am hoping Denver produces some better pictures so I can send to my friend/former boss Jeff who I ran the races for. Here's hoping!

The Great Pumpkins

This is the sight that greeted me when I came home from work tonight...two cute little pumpkins. Thanks to Great Uncle Todd & Aunt Wendy for the adorable shirts!!!!

The Weekend, in Review...

I just finished my second marathon in two weeks and I lived to tell the tale (barely!). For some reason I managed to contract some sort of violent intestinal bug that has hung on all day. So needless to say those 26.2 miles were touch and go--but I did manage to finish with only my second worst time ever (4:10) but all and all, I am happy. Ken and Liam came down to cheer me on and that made this race by far my favorite. Something about seeing your men cheering love and praise from the sidelines and watching your oldest child running beside you with a grin the size of his face was worth the stomach bug!

Other than that it was an interesting weekend. Yesterday was our anniversary and we got to spend it with relatives which would have been good but the water main broke in our basement and we were without water for most of the day while Ken and Bill Sr worked feverishly to fix it. But they got the water back on around 8:30pm so all is well that ended well. Always something!

I am going to try and go find something I can eat without having it go right through me. (sorry for the graphic image there). Since finishing my race 9 hours ago I have been able to keep little down which stinks! This is the time that I normally love to go hog wild and eat everything I haven't been able to eat all week pre-race. Sigh. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow.

Madness, thy name is Marathon

It is a lovely fall day here in Colorado. If I had to order perfect weather, THIS would be it. Sunny, blue skies, warm with a slightly cool breeze. It is the kind of weather that makes me want to go pick out pumpkins and bake an apple pie and eats lots of carbohydrates. Speaking of carbohydrates...I've decided probably rather foolishly, to run another marathon this weekend. Running two marathons TWO weeks apart is pretty insane and highly foolish. Everyone keeps telling me so and I realize this. But there is that self-competitive (or is it self-punishing???) side of my personality that wants to try, just to see if I can. It will more than likely be a train wreck but I've already put in the training and the race is practically in our own back yard (figuratively speaking) so why the heck not give it a go?? Ken's business partner David also ran Portland two weeks ago and he decided to run Denver this Sunday. I started to come down with another cold this week and thought maybe I shouldn't run Sunday, but then I found out David officially signed up and I couldn't let him suffer alone. Well actually it was more like I couldn't let him be the only fool to try two back to back. Isn't that healthy?? Sometimes I hate how stubborn I am. It will only get me into trouble. (Might I cite the Boston Marathon Incident of 2003, where I ran the race with a fever and a raging respiratory infection, as an example of my foolishness).

I doubt anyone will ever accuse me of having too much common sense.

Viva Las Vegas...

Ehhhhh, not so much. I am sitting here in a conference room on a press check in Las Vegas. A press check is basically where you go and watch a printer mess up the color of your design job and then you make them correct it. Over and over again. Luckily there is a window in my conference room so I can see the top of a palm tree but other than that, this room is the majority of my Vegas experience. I flew in this morning and leave this evening--it will be a very long day. It will be kind of neat to see the Strip lit up from the airplane (assuming I get a window seat), but I decided that I am NOT a Las Vegas person. At all. I don't like to be confined around a bunch of people drinking and acting crazy. It's probably the same reason I dislike cruise ships--it's just something about the excessiveness of it all. No thanks--give me blue cloudless skies and miles of running trails and I am happy. (I would also take miles and miles of sandy ocean beaches too!).

I'm tired. Only 10 more hours until I am back home again. Sigh.

Rare Never Before Seen Footage

Catching Sawyer walking on film is much like trying to film Loch Ness...by the time you grab your camera he has disappeared into oblivion. Or more likely up the stairs, or in the garbage, the toilet, etc. So here is a brief early morning video of him walking. Since this was taken he is more sure on his feet, but you get the idea.

Your Daily Liam

To say that Liam is excited for Halloween would be an understatement. If a love of the artfully creepy is genetic, then Liam inherited his love of Halloween and spiders from me. He decided back in August that he would be a spider for Halloween. Not "Spiderman", but an actual arachnid. I bought him a really cute spider costume and he has wanted to wear it everyday. On October 1st he woke up excited because "Today is Halloween!!" When I told him no, he still had 30 more days to wait he got VERY upset and snarled back at me "Well YOU told me that when it is October it would be Halloween and today it is October!!!!" At age four he is very much into semantics.

Yesterday we were (surprise!) once again talking about Halloween and pumpkins, etc. I told him that maybe this weekend we could go find a pumpkin to bring home. He got excited and said "Yeah! We'll buy a pumpkin and then sit it outside on our porch and then it will grow eyes and a face during the night!" Apparently he thinks that the Jack-O-Lantern faces "grow" on the pumpkins in the middle of the night and are fully developed in time for Halloween. Which honestly, would be a LOT easier then carving the thing.

Batten Down the Hatches--Beanie is Walking

The Bean has been taking steps off and on for the past three weeks but it appears that now he is officially a biped. If he could run he would be even happier but for now he is VERY pleased with himself. HE figured out pretty quickly that if he wants to carry something while walking he should just put it in his mouth so it doesn't interfere with his balance. I think he is seriously part canine (except for the walking on two feet stuff). Liam loves that he is walking and is anxious for him to be able to do the things HE does. He is for the most part, a very good big brother. This morning Liam was getting dressed and trying to shut his dresser drawer. I heard him tell Beanie "Hi baby! Do you want to help me shut the drawer? Come here and you can help me. Good Job Sawyer!!" He typically is very patient with his brother and I am enjoying it for the moment because I KNOW that in a few more months when Sawyer is taking his toys and running off with them he might not be so patient. Ken and I can already tell that Beanie is going to be a bit of a turkey. He will toddle up to Liam who is quietly playing a game and then pounce on him by pulling his head back via his hair. And then laugh about it. Yes, I think I should enjoy the peaceful moments while I can...

Back Home

I'm back from my race and feeling rather pooped. The race was a lot of fun even though it was pouring down rain and only 50 degrees and I was wearing shorts and a tank top and I was freezing cold by the time I crossed the finish line. It was the best I've ever felt after a marathon, even though my time wasn't that great(3:56) and 20 minutes off my PR I was still content. The only bummer thing was that my timing chip malfunctioned so there is no official record of me finishing (or even starting, for that matter). I just hope that the race photos turned out (they should--my bib number was pretty prominent). So now I am tired and going to try and get some sleep.

Oh--this is a picture of me and my friends. I feel like a giant in this picture!

Off to Portland

I'm headed out to Portland in the morning for my marathon on Sunday. So far the weather is calling for highs in the 50's and rainy--which is actually pretty good marathon weather! Daddy is in charge while I'm gone so the Fraternity will be in full swing. Liam told Patrick, the father of his buddy Sam, "My Mommy is running 6,700 MILES this weekend!!!"

For the record I am NOT running 6,700 miles. But sometimes at mile 26 it sure feels that way! See you after I return,
L

Your Daily Liam

Ladt night I was giving both the boys a bath. Liam and Beanie were giggling at each other and splashing around. Liam hugged Beanie and he looked up at his big brother and gave him big kiss. Liam was SO thrilled by this that later he told me, "Mommy, I think you a had a REALLY good baby come out of your tummy. Sawyer is the best baby ever." It was so sweet that it almost made me cry. I told him that I was lucky because I had TWO really good boys who came out of my tummy. Sweet little turkeys.

Beanie makes his mark

This morning I was helping Liam pick out some clothes to wear for school when Sawyer decided to get artsy and chew on a marker while my back was turned for two seconds. Luckily I managed to stop him before he got too detailed in his rendering...

Am I Blue?

I'm having another blue day. This is a hard time of the year and despite the gorgeous weather and bright blue cloudless skies I still feel sad. I wish Mother Nature would cooperate and give me some drizzle and cloud coverage--at least I would feel justified for my funk. I told my boss today that I just felt like I was faking happy lately--and she said that she fakes happy a lot too, but sometimes by faking happy, real happy just happens. So that is what I am going to hope for. The boys are constant sources of pure, genuine joy. My family is healthy and we have a roof over our heads and food to eat so I should focus on the positive. So I will be positive and seek out and grab hold of the little pockets of happy I can manage to find every day.

And try to forget about all the other crap.

Mischief

These are my boys. They are very, very BUSY boys. See that tall skinny one in the infant car seat? He emptied an entire bottle of shampoo AND body wash into his bath the other night. I am still trying to get the surface of the tub to not resemble a greased-up ice skating rink. Then there is that little one. Don't let his sweet toothy smile fool you! Today he managed to get a hold of Mommy's cell phone and dial up someone living in NYC who luckily, was not home. That and he also managed to get his little patties in the toilet while Mommy was scrubbing the tub (see above). These children will either keep me very young or give me a full set of grey hair before age 40. Stinking cute adorable little devils!

Liam Meets Ms. Bree

Yesterday was Liam's first appointment with his Speech Therapist to address the issues we've been having with his excessive drool. Liam has always been a drooler...and for the first two years of his life I just had assumed it was contributed to teething. Last year I had asked his pediatrician what he thought about it and he said that Liam was probably just not aware of the fact that he was doing it and that by age 4 he almost guaranteed he wouldn't be doing it anymore. Unfortunately it did not miraculously disappear over the past year even though we have tried to work with him without nagging. Enter Ms. Bree--the Speech Therapist.

We met her yesterday and Liam seemed to like her instantly. While we were waiting to go back and see her Liam asked a littler boy in the waiting room "Are you here to fix your drool too??" This made the Therapist laugh. She examined him and watched him play and listened to him speak. She had him try and do certain movements with his tongue such as making a kissy face, blowing out bubbles, etc. She said that he speaks very, very well but she noticed right off the bat that it appears that Liam has a type of Oral Apraxia. She says she hesitates using this term because it causes undue anxiety with parents--the reason being because Apraxias are neurologically based and come from birth. After she explained it to me I didn't worry at all--it actually made a lot of sense to me based on things I've seen. In a nutshell, Liam's brain and tongue/facial muscles aren't communicating. She said that while he tries SO hard to make a pucker face and feels like he IS doing it, his tongue isn't getting the message. I would imagine it is similar to how a dyslexic child feels when trying to read something. The "cure" for it is really the same as they treat all speech issues--lots and LOTS of exercises. Things like making the tongue move in different directions, trying to blow bubbles without spitting, breathing with the mouth closed, swallowing exercises, etc. She said basically it comes down to lots and lots of repetition and yes, even "nagging".

So far, we have been good about doing the exercises. Liam gets very excited when he is able to do something that he originally could not do but we still have a LONG way to go but as he says, "I'm working on it Mommy! I'm working on it!"

Beanie Rounding the Bend

After a very, very LONG weekend (and NOT the good kind, mind you) it would appear that Beanie might be rounding the corner. Saturday ended up with a trip to Urgent Care, him puking all over me and another full 48 hours of high fever after that. As of last night (Sunday) he was up most of the night restless, coughing and feverish. At 2am he still was running a 103+ temp and NOT at all happy about it. I sat up with him most of the night trying to hold him...which was much like trying to hold and care for a python... Then this morning when he woke up he was suddenly fever free, happy and actually SMILING--something that we had not seen in days. He is not eating much but that is ok--he is happy and fever free. I am praying/hoping/pleading that he will sleep tonight...because I am just about at my physical breaking point. I think the bug I am fighting will be improved with even 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Here's hoping!

Beanie is Sick :-(

I came home last night to find Beanie crabby and sporting a fever. He and I were basically up from 2:00am until 7:00 am this morning when I finally just gave up and didn't try to get him to sleep anymore. Currently he is clawing at my leg--he has had a low grade fever all day and he is NOT happy about it. Nor will he sleep--which is frustrating. I myself have a sore throat--so I imagine he feels the same, times ten. I hope he takes a nap soon otherwise it is going to be a long afternoon...

Can't wait for the teen years...

Since starting preschool, our sweet boy has turned a bit...shall we say, MOUTHY. Tonight at the dinner table he threw a major fit over the pasta sauce on his spaghetti (the same pasta sauce he ALWAYS eats. And loves.) I gave him a few chances to correct his behavior until the third strike, and then sent him to his room for three minutes. When I told him "Three minutes Liam!" he yelled back at me "NO! TEN minutes!!!" And we said, ok then, ten minutes, he in turn countered, "NO! TWENTY MINUTES!!" This went back and forth until he yelled out angrily "ONE MILLION MINUTES!!!" Clearly he needs to work on his negotiation skills. After crying over his pasta sauce repeatedly and sassing me and other various naughtiness (like wiping a pasta sauce laden spoon on my shirtsleeve, for example) he got sent to bed for the first time without any supper. I HATED doing this, because all I can think of is his skinny little tummy rumbling later in the middle of the night, However I know that based on his behavior it was the right thing to do. If there is one thing that Ken cannot tolerate it is wasting food and poor behavior at the table. Something tells me that while beanie will test us in other areas, he won't ever test us at the dinner table! ;-)

Home Again

I finally got back from our three day work "retreat" this afternoon and was greeted by two very happy, very excited, very loving little boys. Liam just kept looking at me then hugging me and saying "Oh Mommy!" Beanie practically jumped out of Emily's arms when he saw me. It almost makes having to go away worth it--just for that kind of warm reception when I return. Ken did fine with the boys, although he does seem really tired but in all honesty (and understandably) he has been drained since Andy died. Tonight for the first time Liam asked me "Where is Uncle Andy?? Is he coming over??" Even though I had been prepared to answer him for the past two and a half weeks I still dreaded having to tell him. I asked Ken if he wanted to tell him and he asked that I do it, and so I did. I sat Liam down and told him that Uncle Andy wouldn't be coming over anymore and that we weren't going to be able to see him again. He got sad and said "Why not?" and I told him he couldn't come over anymore because he had died. Liam's first rapid fire question was "Why did he die?" and before I could answer him he said "Why? Was it because he ate garbage?" (??!!!!) WHY he asked this, I am not sure. It derailed me for a second and I told him "no, Andy did not eat garbage. He died because his heart stopped beating and we need our hearts to live." He seemed ok with that answer. Then he asked if Uncle Tom (Ken's best friend) was going to come over and I when I told him no, Liam said "Is he dead too?" I reassured him that Tom was alive and well, just a very busy doctor unable to come over at a moment's notice. I know the question will resurface--it usually does. I've tried to talk to him before about death and he asked me so many unanticipated questions he left me speechless. He is one smart and intuitive little turkey.

Off to The Mountains

I am off for a three day work retreat in Evergreen so I will be out of touch until Wednesday. Daddy is officially "On Duty" so hopefully when I come back the house (and more importantly,boys!!) will be in one piece. Sawyer cried and cried and lunged for me when I left today which ripped my heart out--he is definitely going through Mommy Separation Anxiety lately. Liam told Emily this morning that I was "only going away for a few months"--clearly we are still working on understanding the concept of time. ;-) While I look forward to the prospect of potentially getting a night or two of 8 hours sleep I am going to miss my guys terribly--I always do.

The Bean will be walking/running/cliffdiving SOON.

Beanie has been taking steps all over the place--at first he was tentative but now he quite literally just THROWS himself in the general direction of where he is aiming to go. This week he got a bloody lip and bruise on the head because he lunged for the arm of the chair and found it with his face, first. Today I watched him climb on TOP of Liam's little chair, stand up then proceed to climb on top of the art table (he REALLY wanted that crayon!). The child has ZERO fear and it terrifies me. He realizes that it is a long way down from the top of the changing table but he doesn't care. He assesses the risk verses reward and decides that it would be worth it to dive off...If we didn't watch him every single second he would be on top of our garage about now. Ken & I have commented recently that Beanie is freakishly strong for his age--he can get out of our arms and use his body to throw himself out of our clutches if he wants too. The child is stubborn and determined. Ken's best friend is a pediatrician and he told us he was going to dedicate a suture kit in his truck just for the Bean. I think we'll probably need it.

Resurfacing...

Thanks to all for your warm wishes, cards, calls and flowers. The entire family appreciates all you have done. Thank You. As painful as the situation is we see that yes, life does go on. We see it every day when the boys giggle and smile and play as if nothing has changed. Yesterday Beanie took his first clumsy step from his changing table to the rocking chair. I kissed him and held him and told him how proud I was of him. I think there are going to be many "first steps" around here over the next couple of months...

I am very tired and will sign off for the night. Beanie has been waking up recently in the middle of the night which is leaving me exhausted. But before I sign off I will leave you with this Liam gem: This morning as I was driving Liam to school he was telling me about something at school. He then said "That's because I'm sure is smart, aren't I Mommy?!"

It still makes me laugh to think about it.

Sometimes, there just aren't enough rocks...

One of my favorite movie quotes of all time is from Forrest Gump. It is the scene where after Jennie's father dies, she and Forrest go back to the run down shack where she grew up. She becomes so overwhelmed with sadness, anger, and grief that she starts pitching rocks at the windows in the house. She throws rock after rock and cries harder and harder which each throw until Forrest says "Sometimes, there just aren't enough rocks..." and I totally get that.

Due to a sudden and unexpected death in the family, I will be off the blog for a while as I try to help out in any way that I can. I don't anticipate being away too long, but I didn't want people to wonder/worry why after 5 or 6 days time they hadn't heard an update.

Until then,
L

My Poor Sweet Baby

My youngest cub has a horrible cold and it is breaking my heart. Every morning when I go in to get him his sweet little nose is caked with snot and those big blue eyes are watering and he just looks miserable. When he tries to drink his bottle he has to work so hard because he is so congested. But typical Beanie, despite feeling like garbage he manages to consistently maintain his sweet disposition, grinning up at us with his toothy little smile, watery eyes and runny nose. He does however DETEST having his nose wiped or face cleaned and will put up a huge fight. Somehow he has learned to wipe his nose on my shoulder before I can get to it first which while disgusting, is highly effective. HE is one smart cookie--just like his big brother.

Get well soon Beanie!!!

WOW.

I just watched history being made right before my eyes as Barak Obama accepted his nomination tonight right here in Denver. I was moved to tears more than a few times as he spoke so powerfully and honestly, and even before that, when the "regular Americans" gave their speeches. Amazing, wonderful, powerful. Barak's nomination actually gives me hope for the future that my children will inherit.

Here is hoping...

Your Daily Liam

This week marks the second week of preschool for Liam. So far he has been totally in love with everything at Happy Valley and every day that he goes to school I ask him "So did you make any new friends at school today?" and every time he tells me "No, I just played with Sam." (Sam is his best friend and the little girl who we do the nannyshare with everyday). Well today I finally found out the reason *why* he only plays with Sam...it's because Sam won't let Liam play with other kids. Today when I asked him why he didn't play with other kids he said "Sam won't let me. We just play together." I said "You mean Sam doesn't want you to make new friends??" and Liam replied "No, it's only me and Sam. We want to be together." I knew from Emily that Sam can be a bit bossy with Liam, but I had no idea how much. Emily predicted that when the kids went off to school, Liam would be the one to make friends and Sam would be the one ordering him only to play with her and apparently that is the way it is going. Liam's teacher called me tonight to discuss his drooling problem (another topic, another time). When I asked her if Liam was getting teased because of his drooling she reassured me that this was not the case at all and that he was happy and friendly with EVERYONE and that he was "a total joy" in her class and that she loved his big smile and enthusiasm. She also said "Sam seems particularly attached to Liam and insists on always being near him." So it would appear that at four years old, Liam already has a controlling and possessive girlfriend who wears the pants in the relationship.

Waxing Nostalgic for the Vertebrae of my Youth

I am disturbed that lately, every morning, I find it increasingly difficult to get moving when I get out of bed. My lower back is SO incredibly sore and stiff, I resemble an old piece of lawn equipment left out to rust in the rain. Once I get up, take a steaming hot shower and limber up, I'm fine but the first initial hour or so it is SLOW going. Grant it, I did have back surgery 19 months ago and I am schlepping around a 22 pound butterball everyday so that might have something to do with it...

The Frustration Factor

This is Liam riding his brand new bike for the second time. The inaugural ride lasted about 20 seconds and ended in tears as Liam stomped off declaring he "never wanted to ride the bike again." You see, Mr. Liam is a perfectionist. If he can't get something right away he gets VERY upset and doesn't want to do it anymore. This is a MAJOR sticking point with me however. If there is one thing I won't tolerate it is giving up easily. Anybody who knows me well can tell you that I am as stubborn and determined as they come but that I NEVER give up. Even if it means running the Boston marathon with a fever and a respiratory infection or doing the Philly marathon with a stress fracture I keep going. (I never said I was smart, however).

So after much coaxing and explaining to Liam that everything takes time and practice the first few times you try we were able to convince him to get back on the bike. The second ride lasted a bit longer. He went from crying to smiling and exclaiming proudly "I didn't quit!!" then back to crying and telling us he was "mad because we made him practice stopping." He has the going forward part down pretty well, but stopping?? Not so much. He just lets the bike careen down the hill until we run after him. He borders on being totally terrified of the bike to really enjoying the small bursts of movement he can generate. He does look pretty gosh durn cute in the helmet though, doesn't he?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!!!!!

Four years ago today I was watching the women's Olympic marathon while laboring with my first boy. I don't really remember who won the gold medal that year, but I do know what I won that day--my empathetic and sweet, highly intelligent, super silly, always affectionate oldest boy. When Liam woke up and realized it was his birthday, we went downstairs to where I had decorated the kitchen. After breakfast he asked me with a bit of a frown, "So are you going to take down the decorations now?" I said "No buddy--it's still your birthday! We'll leave them up." He smiled and said, "It's my birthday...ALL day???!!!" And when I said "Yes--ALL day!!" He skipped off smiling. Here are a few pics from the special day.

After a breakfast of smily face chocolate chip pancakes (pictured), then a full day of fun at the zoo and a cookout with friends, Liam got to eat his very special Firetruck cake that Ken made. We couldn't get the food coloring to be "red" for fear of creating a toxic frosting, but you get the idea (oreo wheels, licorice fire ladder, gumdrop sirens and headlights). Liam LOVED his cake and must have told Ken a thousand times "That is the BEST birthday cake EVER Daddy!!!!!" All in all, he had a great day. We all did.

First Day of Preschool!

Today is Liam's first day at Happy Valley and Liam "is SO exciting!" He has only been asking about it for the past two months nearly every other hour.

And Little brother Beanie is happy too. See his teeth?

YUCK

This is a little gross discovery Ken made when I got back from my 20 miler this morning. My brand spanking new running shoes are now a lovely blood stained red. We've had an extraordinary amount of rain and because of it, the once hard-as-rock dirt trails are quagmires of mud and clay. While I was trying to run through the muck on my rainy long run this morning my shoes sank ankle deep in the mud and I kicked up a stone that must have wedged itself in the back of my shoe. I was at the half way point in the run and it started to lightning so I decided to ignore the sharp object in my shoe in the interest of not getting zapped by 1 billion volts of electricity. I think I made the right choice even despite the gory, bloody shoe.

Brrrrrrrrrr! What is with all this wet stuff?

Shivers! The temperature has dropped DRAMATICALLY and I am scrambling trying to find warm clothes to dress the cubs. Beanie has outgrown everything and when Liam put on his jeans this morning they were about an inch too short. It's amazing how much growing takes place in 3 months time. Apparently the weather is supposed to be cold, rainy and grey all weekend. I think the high is supposed to be 63 and VERY wet. It should be a cold and miserably wet 21 mile long run tomorrow.

Ugh.

Your Daily Liam

Last night Ken and I stayed up WAY too late watching the Olympics so this morning I felt like I had Olympics Hangover. I went to bed about two hours later than I should have. Beanie was up a few times last night miserable with his cold so I didn't get a lot of sleep. Liam woke up early and came into our room. Ken was already up getting ready for work and Liam said "Shhhhh Daddy! Mommy is resting so please be quiet!" Ken laughed and said "I'll try my best buddy." and then went into the shower. Liam then marched over to my side of the bed and stood about an inch from my ear and said rather loudly, "Mommy! I just told Daddy that he needs to be quiet so he doesn't wake you up, ok???!"

I thanked him for being so considerate. Then I got up and ate about 50 chocolate covered espresso beans for breakfast. Later today I might summit Everest. Or orbit the earth a few times propelled by my own caffeine-induced jet fuel. Or maybe both--the day is still young...

"I am SO exciting!"

School starts today for the area young'uns--which just boggles my mind. It seems like every year it starts earlier and earlier. Liam begins two half days a week at his new preschool starting next week. When I reminded him of this today he jumped up and down and said, "Mommy I am SO exciting!!" It always cracks me up when he says things like this. My all time favorite however, is when he wakes up and says, "Good morning tonight!" Gets me every time.

Good morning tonight, friends!

Motivation

I had a GREAT run today. It is the first time in a while that I haven't felt beat down before, during and after my run. I think it might be because yesterday was a cut back week and I only ran for an hour verses three plus hours. Yesterday when I got back from my run I almost felt like I cheated somehow, because I wasn't totally exhausted to the point of wanting to cry. Normally on Mondays I take the day off but since yesterday was so easy, I had extra energy to burn and so I do what I normally do when I am feeling stressed: I run.

Today was doubly sweet. I received an email from a friend (actually he used to be my boss's boss back in the day) who has been diagnosed with a wicked and rare blood disease. I was SO saddened to hear the news about his diagnosis. I sent him a little note to let him know I was thinking of him and that I believed if anyone could kick this thing, it is him. He and his family have always been so amazingly kind to me. Years ago when I was dealing with my own personal crisis they were so supportive. Simply put--they are good people through and through. So when I heard about what he and his family are going through I made a plan to show my support one of the best ways I know how: through running. I decided to dedicate my fall marathon to Jeff (also a marathoner). I plan on designing a cool shirt with Jeff's name on it. I have some other ideas too but I will save those for later. I feel like it is the least I can do.

So the second reason today was sweet: Jeff emailed me to let me know he was really touched by my plans to run for him. I think maybe in some way running a marathon is allegorical to what he is going through, if only slightly. I was so very happy and lifted by his message--it gives me the extra oomph to get out and log those miles even if I don't feel up to it. I am running this race for him until he is able to run it himself someday.

This one is for you Jeff.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree

My oldest cub has suddenly become obsessed with painting. He loves it and asks to do it nearly every day. I understandably am *thrilled* with this new development. Up until now, I was fairly certain that he had zero interest in anything art-related. Most days he prefers to erect massive and intricate structures with legos and Lincoln Logs. I tried for years to spark his interest in art but to no avail. He just couldn't be bothered with paint and crayons and glue and the like when there were things to be built. I just assumed he had inherited the engineering gene from the Grundmann side and had bypassed the art genes altogether.

But alas! The art gene has surfaced!! And with it, the frustration, dedication and sometimes kooky behavior that we artist types tend to exhibit from time to time.

Case in point: Last night Liam was painting at the dinner table while I was putting the Bean to bed and Ken was cooking dinner. Liam was working really hard on covering the bottom part of the paper with green. "It's a tree, Mommy. Isn't it so beautiful?" I agreed that it indeed was beautiful and I encouraged him to keep working on it while I put Sawyer to bed. Somewhere in the course of the next 10 minutes Liam had a meltdown and ended up being sent to his room. When I went out to ask what was wrong Ken looked at me and said "Tempermental artist!!!" Then he told me that he had made the unfortunate mistake of suggesting to Liam that he "Use some other colors too and maybe make leaves on his tree.." Liam took his advise but was VERY upset by the result. Ken sent him upstairs to wash the paint off his hands and cool off. When he felt more calm he was told to come back downstairs. After 5 minutes of him crying Ken suggested that I go up and talk to him since he felt a bit helpless to offer a good solution for him.

So I went into his room to see him laying on the floor crying in a pile of his blocks. He looked up at me and said "I want Daddy to come up here, not you." I told him that I needed to talk to hi for a minute. When I asked him what was wrong he said "Daddy ruined my painting! He put red on my tree but now it is ruined!!" I then spent the next ten minutes telling him how some of the best discoveries happen as a result of "happy accidents." He dried his tears and agreed to try again. I am happy to report that he spent another 10 minutes on his painting and he was VERY proud of it when he was done. He looked at Ken & I with pride and said "Isn't my beautiful painting just so...beautiful???"

Yes buddy. It IS beautiful--but not nearly as beautiful as you are!

Breakfast with the Bean

I think you might even see some teeth here.

Story Time by Liam

For Liam's camera time this morning he chose to tell a story. I'm not sure what it is about, exactly, but I DO know it involves polka dots, Ralston and building with blocks. I think.

Enjoy!!!

Well At Least it is Friday

Arghhhhhhhhh!! What a morning! Liam was in total full-blown defiant turd mode this morning and it was wearing me OUT. This is in stark contrast to the total angel he was yesterday. It seems like lately the turd days and the angel days are half and half (although this week definitely more turdy). Last night he peed the bed around 1:30 (but only a little bit). I think that he actually might have caught himself and stopped--which is great. However when I went in to get him to get up and get him changed he had a MAJOR meltdown. Yelling and crying LOUDLY and refusing to do anything. He would NOT get up and try to pee for anything. NOT cool at any time but especially not cool at 1:30 AM. I really think he gets so tired (he went to bed an hour later which is another story altogether) that he just can't think rationally. If I have to be fair I guess most people don't think rationally when disrupted from a sound sleep--except for me. I am so used to being jarred from sleep that it's commonplace. Which probably explains my perpetually exhausted, tired and grouchy state as of late. But I digress.

I warned him that if he had another accident that night because he refused to get up and pee he would NOT be watching his beloved Disney shows first thing in the morning. So what happens at 4:45am?? He SOAKS the bed. Grrrrrr. He looks up at me smiles and says "Is it morning time now?" I tell him "Don't even THINK about it Pal!" and go downstairs to do a load of pee laundry. I lay back down and 20 minutes later Sawyer is up wailing. I get him fed and back to bed and Liam then appears ready for breakfast. After he eats he asks for his show and I tell him NO and remind him of why he is not allowed to watch them. I reinforce that he is not in trouble for having an accident but rather for NOT listening to me and going to the Potty. This is when he kicked in to Turd mode. When everything goes Liam's way (or the way he feels it should go) he is so good and sweet. However if his plans get disrupted--watch out. Hell hath no furry like a Liam who hasn't slept and/or watched Little Einsteins.

Sidebar: So why is it that it always falls on the MOM's shoulders to clean up wet beds? Pukey beds? Poopie pants? etc.??? When any of these things happen it is like Ken suddenly becomes visually and hearing impaired.

Big turd.

PS: HAPPY 9 MONTH BIRTHDAY BEANIE!!!!! :-)

Some Days I Feel So Overwhelmed

This morning I pried myself out of bed to go tend to my cubs. I was tired from a night of prying myself out of bed tending to my oldest cub. For some reason Liam kept waking up crying and writhing that his leg hurt. Well actually, at first it was his foot. Then his toes. Then strangely, the "owie" jumped to the other leg and right into his shin. I started to get the feeling that I was being played. I got angry and more than a little annoyed because said crying went on off and on all night. I would get up and hiss "Liam-You are OK!!! STOP THIS NOW." And then he would cry and tell me his leg hurt and cry for a bandaid. Then I would tell myself "Well maybe his leg really DOES hurt. How am I to know??". Then I would feel guilty. Then I would spend ten minutes rubbing his legs feeling like the worst Mom ever. I finally ended up giving him some Motrin at 4:30 then dragging myself to bed to await The Bean's awakening.

When Liam woke up at 6:30 he was SUPER chipper. He bounded downstairs and said "Mommy!!!!! My leg feels better!!! Can I have some cereal??" Whether or not his leg was hurting, I just can't say. Maybe it was a cramp? I know I used to get them all the time when I was growing up (and still do--but that is usually after a hard workout). However Liam also has become a master thespian recently so who knows? Sidenote: He informed us this morning "Someday when I grow up, I am going to be a PRETEND singer!" which is probably good. Real singers can get into all sorts of trouble.

Enter the Bean. He woke up initially chipper then turned instantly into a crying, snot-drenched thrasher. I was trying to get dressed and he would climb up my leg crying wanting to be held (Ken of course was already on his way to work. Lovely.). Every time I would try and get dressed or even run a comb through my hair he would cry and look up at me. So I would pick him up and his snotty nose would just gush and he would thrash around in my arms like he wanted to get down. So I would put him down and we would repeat the drill. It's almost as if he was saying "For God's sake woman FIGURE OUT WHAT I WANT ALREADY!" He was a mess and thanks to his faucet nose, so was I. Eventually I got him calmed down enough that he could sit and eat and afterwards he seemed much more like his sweet self. I told you, the boy likes his vittles. I was able to throw on some different snot-free clothes and limp out the door only 15 minutes late but only after cleaning up a gallon of water the dogs sent flying when they kicked over their dog dish on the quest for squirrels and only after cleaning up the Chai that bubbled up over the stove while I was cleaning up the gallon of water the dogs sent flying.

I was thinking on the drive in to work that I feel like I am moderately failing at all things or minimally succeeding, depending on how you view your glass. Today I think mine is half empty.

More Nightmare Fodder

I just heard on the news that a small town about 20 minutes away from here had a rather pesky mountain lion harassing residents. Apparently the big cat broke into the home of a couple who left their french doors open to catch some cool breezes. The cat got scared away when the homeowner turned on the light, but not before the cat ran off into the hillside with their big Labrador in its jaws, killing it. Another neighbor heard the lion (presumably the same one) clawing at her door and window trying to get in.

Shudder.

I already have nightmares about bears picking the locks to get into my house. Now I have to worry about mountain lions even though they are highly unlikely to ever venture this far down the mountain into Suburbia. I think.

Postscript: Due to the erratic behavior of the lion, a trap was set and the cat was caught and put down.

Breakfast—The Most Important MEALS of the Day

You know what your Mom always said about the importance of eating a healthy breakfast--at our house, we eat multiple breakfasts. I am convinced that I have given birth to Hobbits. Liam's usual morning routine is to get up and bide his time patiently (usually 5 minutes) before becoming *FAMISHED* and needing food STAT. Then he gobbles down his first breakfast and will go and play then come back a half hour later for second breakfast. Then repeat the drill anywhere from 10 minutes to one hour later. He usually eats breakfasts all the way up until lunch.

Then we have the Bean. He is ALWAYS serious about breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. He likey the foodstuffs.

Tired. Blehhhh

I don't really have anything of interest to report. I am tired and I have a touch of a headache. It's Monday and I am resting here at work. I say "resting" because it is about the only part of the day/week where I get to sit down and not wrangle boys. Of course what do I do while I am at work? I stare at pictures of my boys and count down the hours until I get to see/hug/kiss/squeeze and play with them. Sigh. Sweet little turkeys.

A Little Bit O' Sawyer

Here is the Bean on the move. As always. Busy, busy, busy. As I was giving him a bath tonight and he was climbing all over the tub, trying to stand up, trying to put his head under the faucet, and trying to climb OUT of the tub it occurred to me that I don't ever recall Liam being this active. Which has me worried because Liam isn't exactly what I'd call "sedentary." Oy.

Inferno, USA

I know I keep lamenting about how hot it is here...and you all are probably like "Yeah, yeah you SAY that it is hot. But at least you don't have humidity!!" Which is true. We don't have humidity. Because it is SO STINKING HOT any form of moisture would evaporate in milliseconds. I think it's because of that whole "closer to the sun thing" that makes it so dry. We're topping out at 102 or 103 today with no end in sight. If you want to know what a Colorado sun feels like turn on an oven and set to "broil". Then wrap yourself in foil, open up the door and climb inside and shut it. Repeat for 20 plus days in a row ("a new Colorado record!!"). Don't get me wrong, I am not really complaining (winter will be here soon enough). It is more of me marveling at HOW STINKING HOT it gets here (oh wait, did I mention that already?).

Stay cool friends.

It's 100 Degrees--Let's Go Running!!!!!

OY VAY. It is hot. Hot, hot, hot. Imagine watching a piece of paper burn and curl up in a flame and that is how your skin feels the minute you step outside. You half expect to see your epidermis flake off before your very eyes... All that being said I had to get my run in today. I'v been trying to get up early to run but since Liam has been night waking I am suddenly wiped out. I just couldn't drag myself out the door at 5:00am. Couldn't do it. So I went out over lunch and put in my 6.5 miles on a dusty, hilly, not a SPECK of shade trail and you know what?? It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I took a liter of ice and water and wore as little clothing as I could and it was ok. I actually saw two other grizzled and grimacing runners out on that trail too. We acknowledge each others perseverance with a grunt and a head nod (anything more than that would have sapped precious energy). Runners--yeah, we're different.

Sidenote: Liam did better last night although he did wake up. He seems to be on the mend although now he is really congested and his voice is hoarse and on the verge of disappearing altogether. So far so good with the Bean--hopefully he can manage to get through this week without the bug biting and he'll be officially in the clear!

Other Sidenote: Emily told us last night that the Bean almost sent her into heart failure. He was scaling the steps and she was right behind him. Since the boy has NO FEAR he stopped on a step, let go and just leaned back. Emily said although she was right beside him when he leaned back he flipped over her knees backwards. She said she caught him by his chubby drumstick and his onesie. She told me this morning that she was so upset by what *could* have happened that she had literal nightmares last night. Our neighbor is right--this boy IS going to give us grey hair.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Ahhh...there's the rub!

It is day FOUR of Liam's bug and just when I was optimistic that I might be able to get some sleep last night Liam up and had another setback and was up a good portion of the evening. I think my children have built in sensors that program their bodies to awake 5 minutes after I lay down for bed. All day yesterday it appeared that Liam was on the mend. He was eating, acting silly and stayed fever free all day. I put him to bed with a glimmer of hope that he would sleep through the night and I would get more than 2 hours of rest for a change. But alas, at 10:35 he woke up crying, moaning and generally miserable. He only wants ME. He cried and cried but could not tell me why. He said his mouth hurt. His ear hurt. His nose hurt. His head hurt and at one point I *swear* he said his bed hurt. He had a very low grade fever but he kept thrashing all around. I gave him motrin and told him that it would help. He demanded to know *WHEN* it was going to help because he certainly was NOT in the waiting kind of mood. I finally got him back to bed around midnight but he still tossed and turned off and on all night. He woke up in a very NASTY mood. He just cried over every little thing--which makes me think he is just not feeling good (this is how he acted on Sunday before the illness kicked in). I talked to Emily and she said that he is doing ok--just a bit emotional. We both agree he is exhausted (and he isn't the only one!)

What is hard too is that we are in the middle of a week of 100+ temps. This means the kids can't really go outside--and I think Liam is having some major cabin fever. The weather is supposed to set some sort of Colorado record on Friday for "most consecutive days of perpetual hell-like-infernoesque temperatures" (OK the papers aren't calling it that but that is what it is!) . Ychhhhh. The weekend appears to be more of the same. I am hoping that soon we get a break and that the heat lessens to at least 85 degrees, Liam's virus leaves and the Bean can manage to stay healthy. Oh yeah, and if we could all get a little sleep that would be just ducky too.

It has a name: Enterovirus

This is the name of the illness that has been messing around with Liam. After 24 hours of fever, headache and body aches I got him in to see the pediatrician. He diagnosed Liam as having an enterovirus--common in the summer months and spread via water (like at a pool or waterpark). He said it is comparable in many ways to Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease and also mentioned that it mimicked encephalitis, especially in adults. He said that we can expect him to be ill for the better part of a week although by the look of things this morning, it might run its course quicker (let's hope). Last night I was only up with him about 5 times, as opposed to the 20 times I was with him the night before. He woke up without a fever (YEAH!!!) and actually wanted to eat a little bit which is a good sign. I am hoping/praying he can go the whole day without the fever returning or the headaches. Here's hoping...

Every parent knows how hard it is to watch your child suffer--it made my heart break every time he would cry and ask me to "make it go away" and I could not. I did my best to just hold him and sing to him and promise I would do whatever I could. Later when he had a good moment he said to me "Thank you for taking care of me Mommy". Even when he feels lousy he is still is so sweet it turns your insides to mush. Thank goodness that my kids are relatively healthy--stuff like this just makes you all the more thankful for the things that you have as well as the things you have not...

MISERABLE HEAT

UGH. It was so incredibly hot today. It was miserable. It's the kind of heat here that you dare not venture outside unless you can run to a patch of shade. I am not sure I have ever lived in any other place where the heat was THIS intense. While it is nice not having humidity, the intense burning sun more than makes up for it. Living a mile closer to the sun has its disadvantages I suppose. I got up at 5:00am to get in my 20 mile long run and by 7:30 the sun was already beating down. By the look of the weather report the heat is not going to go anywhere anytime soon. You know it is hot when your kids don't even want to go outside. Speaking of kids, Liam woke up from his nap utterly exhausted and whiney and totally grouchy. He wouldn't eat snack and he just sat around crying. Finally an hour or two later I got him to at least eat--but then an hour later he was complaining that his head hurt and he didn't feel good and by the time I got him in bed he had a fever. This was all after he helped me tuck Sawyer in bed and had peppered his face with about 50 kisses. Ugh. It could be a rough night. Stay tuned...