Marathon Training--harder than it used to be...

So yesterday morning I got up and put in my 14 mile long run. It was an absolutely perfect morning--uncharacteristically cool temps in the low 70's, sunny and slightly breezey. I have been feeling strong running--not so much fast but that is ok. My goals for my marathon in October are fairly simple: finish the race and not be too banged up afterwards. Anything more than that is gravy. I finished my run and came home to two little boys that were oblivious to the fact that Mommy just ran up mountains for 2 hours. I remember back pre-children when I would come back from my long runs, have a nice breakfast, take a long shower and than take a needed nap later in the afternoon and then relax for the rest of the day.

Fast forward two kids and now this is my routine: get home from my run to see Liam standing at the window waiting for me and talking a mile a minute about what we are going to play the minute I drag myself through the door. Then there is baby boy-crying and ready to be fed and put to bed. Daddy thankfully handled that for me so I could jump quickly in the shower (which Liam interrupted 3 minutes into my shower by opening up the door and asking "Are you done yet Mommy?!)-then after quickly showering I shoveled in a bowl of cereal and began to do dishes while the Bean slept and Ken worked in the yard. While the Bean slept Liam and I cleaned and did laundry. Then Bean woke up and the boys were ready to play! The day ended with a walk to the park and a trip to the grocery store.

I am realizing that now marathon training encompasses a lot more than putting in the mileage. It also includes the cross training of chasing boys around all day AFTER the run. While the pre-kids training was definitely easier, it was most certainly NOT as rewarding as it is now--when I get to come home to those two sweet, highly energetic, always entertaining little boys. :-)

The Bean is Officially Crawling!

Sawyer is now officially a mobile baby and he is in to EVERYTHING. Here he is trying to make a break for the door. Earlier he was on the second step trying emphatically to pull himself up to standing. Since his newfound mobility he has already dumped the dog water, chased the dogs around, discovered that the entertainment center door opens and closes and opens and closes and opens and closes and found that every forbidden thing is the very thing he wants the most. He is definitely happier being able to get around although I think it really ticks him off that he can't walk yet! He has been taking steps holding onto Daddy's hand as of yesterday--methinks he is going to keep us all very busy when he is fully able to get anywhere he wants.

'Maters!

Ken and Liam planted our herbs today and he really enjoyed helping plant. So later he and I planted tomatoes and as you can see, he is *quite* proud of his accomplishment. He has went out literally about 15 times since we planted them to check and see if they have turned red yet. He has the notion that when the "mapaytoes" turn red, we will pick them and "have a party and eat them". The boy LOVES a good party!

Define Diarrhea

So this morning Liam asked me randomly, "Mommy, what is diarrhea????" Momentarily shocked and worried I glanced over to make sure that the reason he was asking me that question wasn't because he was experiencing it himself. So I answered him in the most elementary and honest way possible "Diarrhea is when you have LOTS of poop that comes out fast and somewhat watery. WHY Liam? Why are you asking????" Liam quickly answers "No Mommy. That is NOT diarrhea. Diarrhea is when stuff comes out of your mouth fast and then you eat cake."

?????????!!!!!

Yeah, I have no idea either. And I'm not so sure I am comfortable with him associating diarrhea with mouth and cake...

Sawyer Tries Finger Food (Unsuccessfully)

The Bean tried Cheerios this morning for the first time. This was as close to his mouth that the Cheerio ever came. As zealous as he is for food, it surprised me that he wasn't all over the Cheerios but all in good time I guess.

Brothers!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig Jig

Well-we are back in Colorado after a nice visit back to Ohio to see my family. Ken is back from Singapore and the pups are back from visiting "Uncle Steve". We are all beat. Yesterday we all just kind of sat around looking at each other, because talking would have required energy that none of us had. The boys did pretty good on the flight back, but they didn't nap and were therefor exhausted and moody for the remainder of the day. At one point both boys laid on the floor crying just because they were so tired which is when I reminded them of my "Only One Boy Allowed to Cry at a Time" rule, which they flagrantly ignored.

It was so nice seeing my family. I'm always amazed at how quiet and peaceful it is there. One of my favorite things to do while there is just sit outside on the patio, look out at my Mom's gorgeous flowers and talk to my family--it seems like with the boys in tow those moments were too few but the times we did get to "sit a spell" were very appreciated. Liam had SO much fun spending some one on one time with his grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins. While there he got to fish for the first time, bake cookies with Grandma and go to a Tractor and toy show with just Papa. He also got to spend the day playing with "his friend" Caleb--my sweet and very patient nearly 16 year old nephew. Bless Caleb for putting up with a 3 foot shadow all day! He also had some quality time with my niece Lindsey who was gracious enough to watch him while I went for a run. When Lindsey went for a run Liam told me that he was going to go out and "run in circles like Lindsey." He very well could be a runner too. Last night when I put him to bed I asked him if he was happy to be home. He said "No. I want to be at Grandma & Papa's." He keeps asking me if we're going back there today or tomorrow and sadly I have to tell him, no--but we'll try to go back soon. He loved it there and why wouldn't he? Between all the fun and food and TREATS he was in heaven. He woke up this morning asking for "the big treat with a white top but not the kind that you keep in the freezer." It took me a second to realize he had remembered the giant Tootsie Roll that my sister Lori gave him and was asking for that.

On the return trip we narrowly missed our flight. (Notice a theme here??!) We were supposed to board at 11:30 and we got to the airport at 11:00 exactly!! Luckily Columbus is small and it was a slow day, otherwise we would have been hurting. The flight back was an hour longer but was much nicer. Our seats were behind first-class so Soybean was able to play on the ground for a bit. That baby HATES to be contained. He is happy as a clam if he can just sit by himself and play. Afterwards the awesome flight attendant let Liam go up to the cockpit and meet the Pilots, or "Pirates" as Liam thinks they are called. The two guys were so young but they were very, very friendly. They let him push any button he wanted and pull any lever. He was in heaven (note his recent "button pushing" phase.). As he was leaving he tried to pull the handle to the emergency exit on the plane door--but the attendant stopped him. Note to self: must explain to him that he can't do that any other time on a plane.

Have a good Monday!
PS-I have now enabled the comment section to work on this blog. So please be kind! ;-)

All About Buttons

Well, we made it successfully to Ohio relatively in one piece. Traveling in general is tiring, travelling with two kids will flat out knock you on your keester. Or maybe it is just travelling with my kids that will knock you on your keester...

We got to the airport early to allow us enough time. Or so we thought. Once we got into the terminal we were horrified to see a long line to check in. After 30 minutes in the queue we got up to the ticket counter/automated check in. As I was checking in Liam decided to jump up and press the "Deutch" button on the screen, thereby converting everything to German. Because I do not speak German nor read German, I was stuck. I couldn't go back or forward. This caused the machine to melt down and stall which forced an attendant to come over which forced Mommy to yell at Liam "NO PRESSING BUTTONS!!" which caused Liam to meltdown crying holding his baby Ralston pitifully in front of a hundred people which caused Mommy to feel bad and tired and like Joan Crawford of Mommy Dearest fame.

Actually, I sit here typing this Liam just decided to randomly reach over and press the printer button on and off. Earlier today he decided he would figure out how to reprogram Grandpa's TV. He is suddenly all about pressing buttons, pulling levers, and anything similar. Don't anyone let him near a nuclear missle silo...

WHAT WAS I THINKING?????

Oh my. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed today. Actually strike that...I am feeling A LOT overwhelmed. We leave tomorrow for our trip to Ohio and I am trying to pack up all the gear that the boys and I are going to need as well as get to work early today for a presentation we had to make and, because I am a masochist, I decided to take advantage of the fact the dogs are away and get my carpets cleaned today on top of it all. So I was up until midnight last night doing laundry and starting the packing process and then up early to finish moving furniture so the cleaners could come in and do their magic. Ken is in Singapore until Saturday so it will just be the boys and I and bless her, Emily is coming along on the plane to help out since her Grandma ironically happens to also live in Ohio. The last time Liam and I flew solo I ended up needing and having back surgery...so I am less than thrilled with the thought of hauling everything around.

I forgot how much stuff kids need! I dread hauling two (possibly three?!) suitcases, two big car seats, a stroller, a diaper bag, Liam's cary-on bag and backpack (and whatever Emily brings!!) on the airport shuttle and then through the airport. Once we can drop off the big stuff at checkin it will be better. I am making Liam cary his own backpack and suitcase which will leave my arms free. Ugh. What was I thinking??? WHY did I think it was a good idea to do this while Ken was away???

Suddenly Sawyer has developed an aversion to taking a morning nap. I know my baby boy and I GUARANTEE he will NOT nap on the plane. He will be fidgety and restless because he is very cognizant of anything new and he hates to sit still (and no, I have no idea where he gets THAT from!). Holding him lately is like trying to hold onto a bag of snakes. Liam will do fine--he will be loaded up with books, toys, snacks and art supplies.

Ugh. It will be good once we get there. I just have to remember that over and over as we set out for a full day of traveling. Pray for us...

Who Sings in SINGapore????

Liam woke up this morning and climbed into bed with me. It has become our morning ritual. We snuggle until he gets too hungry and needs breakfast ASAP or until I have to get up and get ready for work and/or tend to Sawyer--whichever comes first. This morning Soybean woke up earlier than usual--playing sweetly in his crib at 4:20am and it took him a while to get back to sleep. He played in his bed until nearly 6:00 am. Enter Liam at 6:30am. I was so tired that I hardly noticed he was there until he started peppering me with questions. "Mommy...I have a question for you..." "What button do you push to make the fan spin faster?" (uh...not sure I want you to know that Liam) "Papa isn't a stranger, is he?" (No Liam, Papa is NOT a stranger. We've been working on defining who strangers are--Liam thinks anyone who talks to him or comes to our door is NOT a stranger) and my favorite question of the morning; "Mommy, who SINGS in Singapore???" A fair enough question I suppose.

Liam has become the master of asking rapid fire questions, waiting for the answer then asking MORE questions. It's no wonder why I am so tired from the weekend--my brain is sore. If I don't give him a good enough answer he will usually correct me and give me the answer he really wants. ex:

Liam: "Mommy, where is Diego?"

Me: "I don't know Liam, maybe he is in your toybox."

Liam: "NO Mommy, that's NOT where Diego is!"

Me: "OK. Maybe he is under your bed"

Liam: "No Mommy-I think he is outside on the deck!"

Me: "fine Liam, he's outside on the deck."

Liam: "No Mommy, he's not! Where is he??"

Me: "I don't know Liam--maybe by the couch."

Liam: "NO Mommy!! He's right here! See, I was RIGHT and you were WRONG!"

Me: "Mommy has a migraine Liam, no more questions for at least five minutes."

"Liam: "Why do you have a migraine Mommy???"

Me: (head hits table)

MY Dad

Why I love my Dad then and now:

• He could fix your car and write you a poem all in the same day.

• He could give you a powerful look that let you know he meant buisness and an equally powerful look that let you know JUST how much he loved you.

• Grab Bag Candy!! (Dad would bring home a *mystery* bag of candy for each one of us kids to pick from)

• He has NO problem being silly as well as strong.

• STORIES!! Dad is still the best storyteller I know.

• Fishing together and our Mystery History Trips on Summer Sundays.

• Dad always is willing to lend an ear and listen and offers suggestions only when asked.

• LOVE. Dad has never been afraid to show us all how much he loves us and he tells us everyday.

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you so much. Thanks for leading by example and being a wonderful father and friend.

Love,
me

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my husband spending it alone in Singapore. We love you and miss you!
XOXOXOXO

Send in Reinforcements!

It is Saturday afternoon and only ONE of my manchilds is sleeping. The one who is NOT sleeping is also the same one who laid in his bed until 10:30PM last night singing. LOUDLY. You would think he would be tired today but no, he is upstairs playing with Ralston (his baby)--flying him above his bed and making loud crash sounds with other various toys he has managed to get a hold of. This does NOT bode well for the rest of the afternoon. When he fails to take a nap he teeters on the edge of giggle fits and major waterworks over any little thing. Ugh. It could be a LONG afternoon and I am tired and still plagued by my gut. If only I could clone myself for the afternoon shift...

Thus far both of the boys have been pretty good today. We got up and went to the art store for supplies for a project we are working on. Suddenly Liam has become infatuated with painting and drawing. His artwork is becoming more detailed. He drew a couple of faces the other day that I LOVED--complete with HUGE forheads and big circles for eyes and even circles inside the other circles for pupils. My favorite is "A Boy with a Pineapple". I'm attaching the "Tree" drawing. To encourage him we loaded up on more paints, paper and markers today. He is also suddenly obsessed with signage. While at the store he said "Mommy! An EXIT sign!" and "Mommy! That sign is for people in 'Rollingchairs' whose legs don't work!" He also pointed out speed signs, mileage signs and Bicycle and Train crossing signs. He informed me last night, "Mommy, I think that tomorrow I might choose pancakes for breakfast." It's good to plan ahead I suppose.

Soybean has been relatively good. His teeth are giving him fits. I am having a hard time giving him a bath because lately he just wants to lean forward and put his face in the water so he can chew on the edge of the tub. It is a constant wrestling match of him trying to lunge forward and me pulling him back up all while trying to wash his parts. That baby is STRONG. VERY, VERY strong. When he wants something he gives it 110% to make sure he gets it. Yesterday Emily said he woke up from his nap and when she went up to get him he was SITTING UP in his crib all by himself. THus far we have never seen him get himself to sitting without our assistance. He is So close to crawling too--I imagine that will happen while Ken is away in Singapore. :-(

Speaking of, he made it in this afternoon our time (2 AM Sunday Morning Singapore time). I got an email from him and he is very exhausted. Unfortunately the phone he rented from Verizon for Asia is NOT working so we probably won't actually get to talk for a while. I am sad--it already feels like he has been gone forever.

Oy Vay. I hear Liam upstairs making growling animal noises. How Soybean ever gets any sleep is beyond me...

Home Alone

Happy Friday! Ken left EARLY this morning for Singapore. As of presstime he has been in the air for 4 hours. Only 18 more hours to go! UGH. I am not sure it is physically possible for me to stay put for 22 hours straight--I can't imagine how my equally active husband is going to manage! We pray that he can sleep most of the way--he has been burning the candle at both ends lately and is feeling VERY run down. He told me last night that based on how exhausted he is feeling he should have no problem sleeping--here's hoping!

So it's only the boys and I for the next five days before we fly out to Ohio on Wednesday. I hope Mr. Liam will improve his mood because lately it has been in the gutter and it will wear me down if I have to endure these meltdowns alone. :-( *Crosses fingers*.

I am tired myself. I didn't sleep much as Ken scurried around the house packing and because Sawyer woke up multiple times stuffy nosed and crying. I hope he does better tonight. Here's hoping!

A Brief Synopisis of the Day (because I'm tired)

1.) Woke up still plagued by the mystery gut ache

2.) Narrowly missed getting side-swiped by co-worker in our parking lot

3.) Spent 2 hours at the DMV only to find out I didn't have the right documentation.

4.) After DMV debacle tried to buy a cup of soup for mystery gut ache (see #1 above) and a bagel. They were out of soup and had only two dry bagels left (which I bought).

5.) Found out that the project we were working on (due tomorrow!) "wasn't on the right track"

and the kicker:

6.) Discovered Liam has been using my $28 dollars-for-8-oz Color Corrective Shampoo as handsoap in his bathroom. When I pointed this out to him he said "Well why did you leave it in the bathroom then??!"

Ugh. I'm going to bed.

Blchh and Yuck

My stomach hurts! Wahhhhhh!! I have no idea what is plaguing me but I can tell you that it feels MIGHTY nasty when I stand up and walk around. Maybe this is a karmic pay back for making light of the whole Tomato Salmonella Debacle. Or maybe it is my poor candy-laden diet. Who knows--but just to be sure I just gulped down some GasX in hopes that it will destroy whatever is making my entire abdomen throb.

Good Times!

10 Miles for Breakfast

It's a beautiful day here in Coloraddy. I got up early so I could get in my long run before work. Normally I do my longer runs on the weekend but it didn't work out that way this weekend. I laid out all my gear last night and pledged I would try and get to bed by 10:00 but I ended up doing some sketches for work so I stayed up later than I wanted. Liam awoke at 4:40 with a wet bed which starts the usual chain reaction: Liam is crying because he wet the bed which wakes up Sawyer who realizes he is VERY hungry and begins to cry which wakes up the dogs who realize it's probably time for them to go out and pee which means (long story short) we are up for the day. So fighting every sane urge to lay back down I laced up my shoes and set out for my run.

I really love being out when the sun is rising and it is mostly just me and the animals. Today I saw lots of birds, bunnies and coyotes (which means there were probably LESS birds and bunnies on my return trip). It was crisp and sunny--very enjoyable. I'm always like an old truck when I run--it takes me a good 4 miles before I warm up enough and shift into gear. Since I am running out on paths I do an out and back run so I don't get lost. Usually my return portion of the run is much faster--not sure if this is because I am finally limbered up or because I just want to get the run over with. When I got back to the house Ken was ready to leave for work and both boys were still sleeping (Murphy's Law: Children will sleep LATE if they know you are getting up EARLY).

Have a good day everyone!

GOOOOOOOD Eatin'

This is Sawyer enjoying his first teething biscuit: A tasty organic vanilla and molasses number that is the consistency of a brick (although after a half an hour of gnawing on it and grinding two little nubbin's against it, it converts to paste). Compared to his older brother who had to constantly be tricked into eating, Soybean has NO reservations about consuming ANYTHING (edible or not).

PS: HAPPY 7 MONTH BIRTHDAY BEANIE!!!

She Must Have Been in a Hurry...

Yesterday was what we all call a "challenging" Liam day. For some reason he woke up on the wrong side of the bed--the side that converts our otherwise sweet boy into Damian from the Omen. We average one of these days every other month or so and when they roll around, we cringe, hunker down and make sure we have lots of vodka in the house for "Mommy & Daddy's Juice." He screamed over everything. He got mad if you asked him to do something then got mad if you didn't. He wouldn't listen, wouldn't play nice, and teetered on the verge of giving himself a bladder infection because he didn't want to be told to go to the potty. He is stubborn. He is smart and he is creative---so add those three things together and you've got trouble. (ex: the infamous poop in the heat vent incident...)

Since last night was my "Mommy Night Out" (dinner with some friends) Ken was the first one home to rescue Emily, our nanny. Ken said she had a VERY hard day--the most challenging one yet--and was on the brink of calling us home to come and deal with Liam. She was literally at her wit's end. Luckily she managed to hold on until lunchtime because when he woke up from nap he was much better and back to his normal self (hey to be fair--we ALL have those kinds of days!). When Ken was telling me all of this I happened to look over by the door and I noticed that Emily left her bag, her lunch pack and her hoodie--all indicators that she probably had one foot out the door the second Ken came home. Oh dear Emily--thank you for all that you do . Oh, and thank you for not hanging him upside down by his toes like you probably wanted to. ;-)

It's a Good Thing that it is Friday...

Good grief but we are tired. The kind of total body fatigue that creeps in and takes up residence while you least expect it. It's the kind of fatigue that a Venti Vanilla Soy Latté can't fix (I know this because I've tried-often). I woke up looking around the house and feeling a bit overwhelmed: Liam peed the bed last night for the third night in a row, the house is a mess, laundry needs to be done and folded, my flowers need watered, lawn mowed and we still have boxes yet to be unpacked loitering in the bedroom. Our living room is still a temporary holding cell for some boxes and office furniture (and everything else we carry in and tend to drop there when we get home from work) until we get our basement finished. It's enough to make me want to curl up in a ball and rock in a corner. But then I remember that in the grand schemes of things these aren't big deals: I have beautiful, healthy children (FYI: Sawyer's Kidney ultrsound came back officially clear this week!! HOORAY! No more hydronephrosis!), a loving hard-working husband and a home over our heads and good jobs. What do I have to complain about? NOTHING! So I won't. Instead of fretting about the state of chaos that is our home/work/life I am going to embrace it for all of its wonderful colorfulness and be thankful for what I have as well as for what I don't have. Play More, Worry Less. The chaos will always be there and our children grow up before we know it.

See what Turns Liam into a Dancing Machine

As I've mentioned, Liam LOVES music. He loves singing it, playing it on his guitar and more recently, dancing to it. Lately he has become hypnotized by the new iTunes commercial featuring the band Coldplay. When the commercial comes on he silently jumps up, stands about 6 inches from the tv screen and then starts to dance, swinging his body from side to side. It is like a funny, non-creepy version of the little girl from Poltergeist who gets summoned by the voices in the TV, only Liam's voices are actually in harmony. ;-)

Go here to see it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3mYc1m3lsM

Good Morning Mommy

And THIS is why I love being a Mommy... Soybean typically greets me this way when I go in to get him up each morning--with a huge, delicious, dimpled grin on his sweet face. It makes me forget the fact that he pooped all over this morning (twice!). I'm sure THAT had nothing to do with the fact he was so giggly. No, nothing at all.

Always Start Your Day with a Song

This morning started much like every other morning: Soybean woke early for a bottle then went back to sleep. Liam woke up early after having wet his bed (he IS doing better about staying dry at night but we still have some setbacks.) I got up to take a shower while Ken got Liam breakfast. When I came out of the shower I was serendaded to Liam singing his new song titled simply; Penis. "Penis, penis, penis, PENIS, penis, penis PEEEEEEEEEEENIS!!!!!" Ken looked at me and said "Where did he learn that???!!" I told him "I think he just made it up. " He's creative like that.

A Day in the Life

Well, I did it. I finally went and signed up for a blog. I had toyed with the idea off and on for a few years after I found myself writing daily posts to family and friends back east about the goings on of my new life in Colorado. It has since become an almost daily ritual to inform my family about the latest "Liamism" or Sawyer (aka Soybean) acrobatics. So why not kill two birds with one stone and create a blog where everyone can come and visit and read about how I caught Liam trying to stand up in the toilet (?!) or how Soybean figured out how he can do a downward dog yoga pose while learning to crawl? Seems like a no-brainer to me. So hopefully you will find this informative and sporadically entertaining...