As many of you know Preston and I will be participating in the Pocatello Marathon tomorrow. We both realize we are out of our minds but at the same time we are looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
We drove straight through yesterday - with little boys fussing just about the whole way - and arrived here late last night. I think we finally had everyone settled around midnight.
Thankfully just about everyone seems to have gotten some good sleep and are enjoying cold cereal in front of cartoons (we havent had real TV at our house for YEARS).
We are looking forward to taking the kids swimming soon. That is their favorite part about staying at the hotels - well, second favorite next to making sure the cable has the Food Network - which they do the minute they get into the hotel room :) (it is a good thing we DONT have real TV - we would watch the Food Channel non-stop I think:)
A little later today Preston & I will officially check in for the marathon. We are looking forward to the fun "goodie duffel" that all the participants will receive. It is supposed to have all sorts of fun stuff in it - it will be like Christmas!
We are also hoping we will find out more info about what we will do with the kiddos. Mom & Dad & Tyler will be caring for them, as well as K & D's and maybe T & H's kiddos too! We just arent sure where they will keep all the kiddos yet. Lots to still figure out but it will all work out fine I am sure!
We are also looking forward to the arrival of some of Preston's family. This became a "family" adventure when our bro-in-law ran a marathon and Preston's mom found out he was planning to run this one too. She thought it would be a great adventure for all of us kids. We ended up all being gung-ho at first but at this point I think Preston & I, Kari & Doug (maybe), Heidi and Bart are who will be participating tomorrow. The others will just have to live vicariously through all our craziness!
Tonight the marathon is hosting a pasta dinner for all the participants too. Their plan is to bulk everyone up on lots of carbs - supposedly a great thing to do before running! It should be way yummy!
Going back to the thought that we really are crazy for doing this....Preston was looking at the marathon info this morning and found that he, at least, will start at 6000 ft and the marathon will end at 4500 ft. I will start a little lower than he will - but WOW - coming from sea level that is a HUGE thing. Preston will be running 26.3 miles and I will be attempting to walk 13 miles.
It is going to really be a grand adventure.
Well, going to run for now - kiddos are all ready for swimming. We will be sure to post more over the next couple of days and keep everyone up to date!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Lord's Tender Mercies - So Much To Be Grateful For
A friend of mine who also has a blog posts amazing things. Recently she posted some thoughts about the tender mercies of the Lord in her life and shared some of the wonderful blessings she is so thankful for.
It really got me to thinking - esp after the disasterous last few days for our family...so here is my list of things that I am thankful for. Thank you Julie so much for helping me to truly see the Lord's hand in my life esp through the struggles
1) I am thankful for sick little people who climb into my lap and want to be held and rocked. The kids have all taken turns the last 2 weeks getting VERY sick with a nasty bug. Ky is like a tornado most days and never is still enough to sit let alone crawl into my lap. His droopy eyes, sad face and his sweet arms reached out to me told me it was time for me to set aside everything, and so I did and we both napped in our favorite recliner chair. It was precious time for me.
2) I am thankful for finding out the van was having major issues and having emergency funds to take care of the problems BEFORE we left for our big trip. I went in for a rountine oil change and check just like we always do before we travel - thinking in, out, no big deal. Only to discover a short time later that brakes AND tires were on their way out and would not have been safe to travel. I was close to tears when I found out - where were we going to find THAT MUCH $ to pay for repairs...Preston was able to remember an emergency only acct that we still had access to...it will be a struggle to get $ balanced but our immediate needs were met and we have the knowledge of peace & safety for our long weekend trip.
3) I am thankful for preston having to go out of town for military, AGAIN. He just got a notice that most likely he will be going to another state (I forget where) to do a requested ceremony. It would be 2 days of active duty pay plus logging hours of regular work while he is gone. Hoping all goes through it will be the extra funds needed to possibly help pay for the car repairs
4) I am thankful for the wonderful smell of warm homemade bread. A good friend of ours gave us an AMAZING recipe for homemade rolls. The girls have been begging to make them. They got into a snag while making dough when I was away from the house today and they were in a panic and I was kind of frustrated when I got back to them. We all took a break and then came back to it and the girls had a blast doing assembly line cut outs (janay was here too) and then they ran a couple of errands on their bikes. The rolls were just coming out of the oven when they arrived home. The joy on their faces at seeing, smelling and tasting them was worth it. That smell will always remind me of this day of watching the girls learn something new and remind me of their joy of accomplishment.
5) I am thankful for the beauty of nature - even after 4 solid days of heavy rain. We have had very bizarre weather here - wind, heavy rain, hail, thunder & lightning. On the afternoon of the 4th day of rain I happened to be sitting in our favorite recliner chair in front of our front bay window. I again noticed the unusual beauty of a new plant in the yard. My eyes were drawn to the way the raindrops were being cradled on the leaves. I love any opportunity to get out my camera - even in the rain - and the more picts I took the more I noticed the delicate drops on the flowers and plants in the yard. I was fascinated and amazed at the delicate beauty left behind after such severe weather. Those picts have become some of my favorite and most cherished.
6) I am thankful for the blessing of a loving, patient, supportive husband - even when his wife is a loopy, insensitive dolt. I have been really struggling with sleep recently which is really starting to severely affect everything else in life - including my moods. Through all my grumpiness, distance, lack of desire to do anything he has been kind, calm and patient. He has helped with kiddos and house and has even found me some info that will hopefully help with sleep too. I dont know how he continues to put up with me, I only know that I am so thankful that he does.
7) I am thankful for the "fruit of our labors". Last week my girls and a couple of their friends went to pick pears. Another blessing to be thankful for - a friend who has fruit trees and no desire to do anything with them. My girls thought it was a grand adventure after all the days of rain. They biked back and forth 3 times that day to bring back pears and run errands. Monday night Preston came home from work early and he and I and the girls bottled pears. I thought for sure the little bit that the girls brought home would not amount to anything - what an amazing blessing to discover and look at 14 beautiful bottles of pears on the countertop! Our efforts provided food for our family that will be a treat through the whole winter!
8) I am thankful for friends who share their sorrows as well as their joys. I have a couple of friends who have been really struggling with life lately. My heart has ached for them and their sorrow but I have also felt joy at the opportunity to help share their burdens - even if all I did was listen and give my encouragement. I have also loved being able to share in the laughter over children's antics and knowing that even though we live in different houses that we can laugh over similar things that go on in each of our families. I am thankful to know that no matter where we are in life that we share similar life experiences and that we can learn and grow from each other through the joys and sorrows and frustrations that we share with each other. I hope those friends know how much I truly care for them and know that I am blessed because of the things they share with and give to me.
9) I am thankful for the gift of giving. Our ward Relief Society recently had a service auction. Sisters would agree to donate time, talents, etc and we each bid on those items as if in a real auction. The process itself was hilarious and the rewards and blessings more numerous than any of us can count. My "service" was treating a sister/family to a "dessert of the month" club - 12 months of ,hopefully, decadent desserts. There is one sister in our ward who I have always felt overwhelmed and very intimidated by. She is an amazing person in more ways than I can describe. I have never known how to be around her let alone talk with her. Just my luck that she gave the highest bid for my service. I was terrified to say the least! How was I supposed to make something good enough for this amazing sister and her family? Well, I took the opportunity this last weekend to make and take something fun. As I delivered it I got the chance to stop and chat for a few minutes on her doorstep - what an amazing gift to laugh with this sister about something all of us had struggled with - cooped up kiddos after 4 solid days of rain! Just a couple days after that I got another chance to chat with her when her son came to work on some scout stuff with Preston. Again I was amazed that I was laughing and chatting with her about similar likes and life experiences. I think I have chatted with and learned more about her in the last few days than I have in the last 11 years of knowing her! My heart has been the one to change because I have been able to give this simple service to her. Instead of being terrified I am anxiously looking forward to what the next 11 months will bring! I think that giving to others is an even greater gift to ourselves, I know it has been for me.
10) I am thankful for homemade mac n' cheese! This is one of those all time favorite comfort foods! Ever since I had Ceana I have not been able to stand the smell, let alone the taste of macaroni and cheese. It has been a big struggle for me. Recently I found a fun Food Network DVD featuring homemade mac n' cheese - made and on the table in 20 minutes - how great is that? So we decided to give it a try - and it is so FAB! We have made it twice already it is so yummy. I love the flavor and how it is just so nummy! I also love that it really does only take 20 minutes or less to make it! It is fast becoming a family favorite and it will be one that we add to our food storage inventory. It is one of those fun comfort foods that makes you want to just curl up in your favorite chair with a good book and enjoy every bite with every page. Ok - so big confession - it has made me want to do that - and I have - a couple of times already :) Food, good book, comfy chair, how fabulous is that? It's WONDERFUL :)
Wel, hope you have enjoyed my list - I hope this will be a more regular entry - maybe on my sidebar - but even if not - it will be more regular in my mind and heart. The Lord truly sends great blessings in small and simple ways - it is our job and our joy to find them - I hope I will do more in the future to do better with both.
It really got me to thinking - esp after the disasterous last few days for our family...so here is my list of things that I am thankful for. Thank you Julie so much for helping me to truly see the Lord's hand in my life esp through the struggles
1) I am thankful for sick little people who climb into my lap and want to be held and rocked. The kids have all taken turns the last 2 weeks getting VERY sick with a nasty bug. Ky is like a tornado most days and never is still enough to sit let alone crawl into my lap. His droopy eyes, sad face and his sweet arms reached out to me told me it was time for me to set aside everything, and so I did and we both napped in our favorite recliner chair. It was precious time for me.
2) I am thankful for finding out the van was having major issues and having emergency funds to take care of the problems BEFORE we left for our big trip. I went in for a rountine oil change and check just like we always do before we travel - thinking in, out, no big deal. Only to discover a short time later that brakes AND tires were on their way out and would not have been safe to travel. I was close to tears when I found out - where were we going to find THAT MUCH $ to pay for repairs...Preston was able to remember an emergency only acct that we still had access to...it will be a struggle to get $ balanced but our immediate needs were met and we have the knowledge of peace & safety for our long weekend trip.
3) I am thankful for preston having to go out of town for military, AGAIN. He just got a notice that most likely he will be going to another state (I forget where) to do a requested ceremony. It would be 2 days of active duty pay plus logging hours of regular work while he is gone. Hoping all goes through it will be the extra funds needed to possibly help pay for the car repairs
4) I am thankful for the wonderful smell of warm homemade bread. A good friend of ours gave us an AMAZING recipe for homemade rolls. The girls have been begging to make them. They got into a snag while making dough when I was away from the house today and they were in a panic and I was kind of frustrated when I got back to them. We all took a break and then came back to it and the girls had a blast doing assembly line cut outs (janay was here too) and then they ran a couple of errands on their bikes. The rolls were just coming out of the oven when they arrived home. The joy on their faces at seeing, smelling and tasting them was worth it. That smell will always remind me of this day of watching the girls learn something new and remind me of their joy of accomplishment.
5) I am thankful for the beauty of nature - even after 4 solid days of heavy rain. We have had very bizarre weather here - wind, heavy rain, hail, thunder & lightning. On the afternoon of the 4th day of rain I happened to be sitting in our favorite recliner chair in front of our front bay window. I again noticed the unusual beauty of a new plant in the yard. My eyes were drawn to the way the raindrops were being cradled on the leaves. I love any opportunity to get out my camera - even in the rain - and the more picts I took the more I noticed the delicate drops on the flowers and plants in the yard. I was fascinated and amazed at the delicate beauty left behind after such severe weather. Those picts have become some of my favorite and most cherished.
6) I am thankful for the blessing of a loving, patient, supportive husband - even when his wife is a loopy, insensitive dolt. I have been really struggling with sleep recently which is really starting to severely affect everything else in life - including my moods. Through all my grumpiness, distance, lack of desire to do anything he has been kind, calm and patient. He has helped with kiddos and house and has even found me some info that will hopefully help with sleep too. I dont know how he continues to put up with me, I only know that I am so thankful that he does.
7) I am thankful for the "fruit of our labors". Last week my girls and a couple of their friends went to pick pears. Another blessing to be thankful for - a friend who has fruit trees and no desire to do anything with them. My girls thought it was a grand adventure after all the days of rain. They biked back and forth 3 times that day to bring back pears and run errands. Monday night Preston came home from work early and he and I and the girls bottled pears. I thought for sure the little bit that the girls brought home would not amount to anything - what an amazing blessing to discover and look at 14 beautiful bottles of pears on the countertop! Our efforts provided food for our family that will be a treat through the whole winter!
8) I am thankful for friends who share their sorrows as well as their joys. I have a couple of friends who have been really struggling with life lately. My heart has ached for them and their sorrow but I have also felt joy at the opportunity to help share their burdens - even if all I did was listen and give my encouragement. I have also loved being able to share in the laughter over children's antics and knowing that even though we live in different houses that we can laugh over similar things that go on in each of our families. I am thankful to know that no matter where we are in life that we share similar life experiences and that we can learn and grow from each other through the joys and sorrows and frustrations that we share with each other. I hope those friends know how much I truly care for them and know that I am blessed because of the things they share with and give to me.
9) I am thankful for the gift of giving. Our ward Relief Society recently had a service auction. Sisters would agree to donate time, talents, etc and we each bid on those items as if in a real auction. The process itself was hilarious and the rewards and blessings more numerous than any of us can count. My "service" was treating a sister/family to a "dessert of the month" club - 12 months of ,hopefully, decadent desserts. There is one sister in our ward who I have always felt overwhelmed and very intimidated by. She is an amazing person in more ways than I can describe. I have never known how to be around her let alone talk with her. Just my luck that she gave the highest bid for my service. I was terrified to say the least! How was I supposed to make something good enough for this amazing sister and her family? Well, I took the opportunity this last weekend to make and take something fun. As I delivered it I got the chance to stop and chat for a few minutes on her doorstep - what an amazing gift to laugh with this sister about something all of us had struggled with - cooped up kiddos after 4 solid days of rain! Just a couple days after that I got another chance to chat with her when her son came to work on some scout stuff with Preston. Again I was amazed that I was laughing and chatting with her about similar likes and life experiences. I think I have chatted with and learned more about her in the last few days than I have in the last 11 years of knowing her! My heart has been the one to change because I have been able to give this simple service to her. Instead of being terrified I am anxiously looking forward to what the next 11 months will bring! I think that giving to others is an even greater gift to ourselves, I know it has been for me.
10) I am thankful for homemade mac n' cheese! This is one of those all time favorite comfort foods! Ever since I had Ceana I have not been able to stand the smell, let alone the taste of macaroni and cheese. It has been a big struggle for me. Recently I found a fun Food Network DVD featuring homemade mac n' cheese - made and on the table in 20 minutes - how great is that? So we decided to give it a try - and it is so FAB! We have made it twice already it is so yummy. I love the flavor and how it is just so nummy! I also love that it really does only take 20 minutes or less to make it! It is fast becoming a family favorite and it will be one that we add to our food storage inventory. It is one of those fun comfort foods that makes you want to just curl up in your favorite chair with a good book and enjoy every bite with every page. Ok - so big confession - it has made me want to do that - and I have - a couple of times already :) Food, good book, comfy chair, how fabulous is that? It's WONDERFUL :)
Wel, hope you have enjoyed my list - I hope this will be a more regular entry - maybe on my sidebar - but even if not - it will be more regular in my mind and heart. The Lord truly sends great blessings in small and simple ways - it is our job and our joy to find them - I hope I will do more in the future to do better with both.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
CH2M Company Family Activity
Preston's company has an "end-of-summer" family activity or picnic every year. This year they held it at the Corvallis Aquatic Center. The kids were thrilled as we hadnt made it down there yet this Summer. CH2M reserved the pool just for us (company families) and we were expecting a HUGE crowd as this is one of the events everyone looks forward to. We were really surprised at how few families were there - but were happy to pretty much have the whole pool to ourselves. The kids had a BLAST swimming and playing. Preston & the girls each took turns with the little boys to help them play and be safe. Kelsianne mostly hung out in her stroller while I took picts of everyone. They had only reserved a 3 hour block and the kids were sad to have to go - they could have stayed and played all day!
I think everyone really enjoyed their time and it was a great family outing for us.
I think everyone really enjoyed their time and it was a great family outing for us.
ICE CREAM FUN!!!
Preston's company picnics are always extra fun for the kids because of all the goodies and treats they give out. Today they had ice cream sandwiches - which we LOVE at our house. The kids enjoyed every bite - esp Ky who managed to get his all over himself, the beach towel and his life jacket by the time he was done! What is that famous phrase "if it doesnt get all over the place it doesnt belong in your face!" You can always tell when kiddos have especially enjoyed a treat when there is more on them than in them! hahaha. The kids did enjoy the special treat and the fun company water bottles they received. It was a great part of a super fun activity.
SPLASHDOWN
Preston and the kids' FAVORITE thing to do at the aquatic center is go down the water slide - as many times as they can! I was a bit apprehensive about Caiden going down without his life jacket since he really doesnt swim yet. He surprised us all when we discovered that he as grown so tall that he could stand up in the slide pool! After that there was no stopping him! The kids always made sure I take lots of picts of them coming down the slide and Preston, as always, makes the most of me taking picts of him...:)
Monday, August 18, 2008
RAINY DAY BEAUTY
We have had such unusual weather in the last few days - 100+ degrees, HUGE thunder & lightning storm with hail, and today the temperature has significantly dropped and it is pouring rain. Though the rain put a damper on our outdoor afternoon plans it gave me an amazing photo opportunity. We have one plant (it reminds me of something we have seen in Hawaii) that we are still waiting to see it to bloom - but the leaves are amazing. Today the rain drops just sat on the giant leaves and I discovered that other plants and flowers were also holding the rain. I was amazed at the beauty and tried hard to capture it. I am still learning but I think these picts turned out well and are my favorites.
Ceana's Photography
Ceana is becoming quite the photographer! When we went to the zoo with friends last month I gave her our other camera. I am so impressed that she captures such amazing images (I dont ever use that camera for anything but video because I dont get good picts on it)She got some really great shots and some interesting ones. I think one of her favorite picts is the the one she caught of me and our friend Carol (the other mom) taking pictures.It is kind of funny and makes me laugh every time I look at it because between all our cameras we took TONS of picts that day.
One of my favorites is the one that actually came out blurred - it reminds me of a classic painting style and will probably make an awesome printed version - something abstract and unique.
I am sure ceana would LOVE to hear your feedback on her picts so feel free to leave lots of comments!
One of my favorites is the one that actually came out blurred - it reminds me of a classic painting style and will probably make an awesome printed version - something abstract and unique.
I am sure ceana would LOVE to hear your feedback on her picts so feel free to leave lots of comments!
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