sea level is for sissies

on sunday night we headed to the rawlings' house for the night. the next morning dave, angela, mark and i were leaving bright and early (5:30 am) to head to boulder to run a memorial day race and so logan and emma were going to be hanging out with the rawlings kids while we were gone (rock on to lexi who held down the fort, watching her 4 brothers and our 2 kids). it was logan's first sleepover with his cousins (or anyone for that matter) and he was excited. josh was sweet and read bedtime stories to all the boys!

but logan's excitement was short lived (after chatting and playing around with the boys and being told to "go to bed" multiple times). soon he was asking to go home to his bed. after various attempts and various sleeping locations, he finally ended up in bed with me (and dave slept on the floor). even with him in bed with me, it took awhile to calm him down and finally get him to sleep (at 11:15 pm). 

on monday morning we joined about 50,000 people to run in the largest road race in the country. it's really amazing and there is such a fun, non-competitive atmosphere (although i'm sure if we ran in the 1st wave i would have to take back the "non-competitive" comment). it was perfect weather and just a perfect day!

 

the bolder boulder is truly "an experience" and running is just part of it. it's incredible people watching and the city of boulder (which is super liberal and crazy to begin with) really gets into it which makes it really fun. some of the things we saw that made me laugh: (the following were runners) 4 teletubbies in full costume, a couple of people in gorilla suits, someone in a banana suit, some super heroes, lots of tutus and fred flinstone who ran all 6.2 miles barefoot. the spectators made it fun too. they were handing out bacon, doritos, marshmallows, donuts, otter pops, beer (lots of beer). you can tell for a lot of them that watching the race is a yearly tradition and some of them go all out, with huge breakfast buffets, drinks and friends/families. and then there were all the fun bands playing along the way, the belly dancers, the people spraying the runners with their hoses and water guns, the huge slip 'n slide, the people holding the sign that said, "run like you stole something," and the big banner that said "sea level is for sissies" at the summit of the race (5,391 ft). and of course there is something amazing about running into a stadium full of cheering people and rounding the track and crossing the finish line. it really makes you feel like a star!

finished (and tired and sweaty)!

even though we've both been sore the past couple of days, we can't wait for next year! and we've already decided we're dressing up next year! now we just have to figure out our costumes.

5 years ago

5 years ago (on may 23, 2007...it was a wednesday just like this year) dave asked me to marry him. i'm so glad he asked and i'm so glad i said yes! i remember my co-workers were shocked at how short our engagement was (2 and a half months) and one of them even asked who was going to plan my wedding so quickly! haha!

on wednesday in honor of the day and how he asked me (using our favorite game), we played the game, dirty marbles. it came down to both of us needing to roll a 1 to win and i was the lucky one! woohoo!

it's been a good (and fast) 5 years. 

celebrating pappy!

last week we celebrated pete's birthday at texas roadhouse. that place is so yummy! seriously, i could go for a roll and some of that amazing cinnamon honey butter right now. it actually happened to be the restaurant's opening day and the place was hoppin'! we had a great time being together! happy birthday pete! we love you!

this kid is so dang cute! just look at him! i just want to eat him up!

logan crawled under the table and wiggled his way in between gammy and pappy.  

and then he started stealing their food. like putting his hands right in gammy's chili, eating the cheese off the top. we're still working on manners ;) good thing gammy and pappy love him!

this little miss ate a lot! i'm constantly impressed with how much she can eat. she loved looking around the restaurant at all the chaos.

so beautiful!

love this guy!

pappy and the kids in front of andy armadillo. logan thought he was so cool and kept wanting to poke his foot!  

i love pete and emma's faces in this picture! pure love and joy!

"jump for your love" date night

the post title is inspired by a sweet little ditty by the pointer sisters (you can totally think i'm a nerd. it's ok). i showed dave this video to give him a hint about the date i had planned and like usually happens, he guessed it right away.

we went to jumpstreet, an indoor trampoline place with a few friends and it was soo fun! seriously, one of our favorite, most fun dates we've been on. we jumped, played dodgeball, swung from a rope/jumped off a tramp into a foam pit and rode a mechanical bull. it really was awesome! everyone indulged me and my need for pictures...even 3 pictures (we joked that we felt like we were on a group date in college or something. funny we all had kids waiting at homes though)!

we can't wait to go back again!
(and btw, talk about a good workout.)

sleeping drama

over the past month and a half i feel like we have become "real" parents. maybe that sounds funny since we've been parents for almost 3 years (what?!), but suddenly it feels very real as our almost 3 year old is exerting his independence in a whole new way and in the process, is pushing his parents' buttons like never before. i have felt parental exasperation in a whole new way and find myself thinking, "i need to read a parenting book, because i have no idea what to do!"

about a month and a half ago it's like a switch flipped in logan and suddenly our fantastic sleeper (who we worked hard with as a newborn to get him to be a fantastic sleeper) decided he no longer wanted to sleep. he didn't want to sleep in his bed, we couldn't shut his bedroom door without a total meltdown, we had to leave the bathroom light on and even those things didn't stop the all out screaming come nap time and bedtime. we had to remove every book, every toy, every basket and item from his shelves not because he was playing with them, but because he was throwing them when he was supposed to be sleeping.

this was what happened during logan's nap time the day of emma's birthday party. i really needed him to sleep so i could get stuff done and obviously he didn't want to sleep. so i shut him in so he couldn't get out. clearly he was busy in there. soon after everything got taken out of his room.

one night after going down fairly well for bedtime, something woke him up at 10 pm (dang whatever it was). and for the next 2 and a half hours we tried to get him back to sleep. we tried stroking his face and singing to him, threatening, yelling and screaming (which only made him more upset and made us feel absolutely awful), reading him a book, getting him a drink. we tag-teamed it, and when i felt like i was at the end of my rope, dave would come in and relieve me of my post (and vice versa). we left him in his room to scream while i sat in our room and cried, totally at a loss of what to do. it was probably one of the most awful parenting moments of my experience. finally at 12:30 am after trying anything and everything we could think of we decided to go to sleep. we told logan he could go to bed when he was ready but we were going to sleep. after laying on the floor next to me for a few minutes (and trying to get into our bed, which was NOT going to happen), he finally went back to his bed and went to sleep.

logan fell asleep in the car and when i brought him inside this is what happened within a moment! and yet, when i put him down in his bead minutes later suddenly he wasn't tired anymore (i hate when that happens). and this is what he was doing when he was supposed to be sleeping.

the thing he is holding above his is the cushion thing from his little potty seat. although at this moment, it was a "cowboy hat." also, please make note that he is also wearing mittens.

let's just say that for days (maybe even a week) i dreaded nap time and bedtime (which i used to look forward to) because i knew it was going to be a big fight. sometimes it meant logan slept on the floor, sometimes it meant i shut the door so he couldn't get out and he would pound on the door and cry/scream himself to sleep (often on the floor right next to his door). luckily dave was inspired to suggest an incentive program for good sleeping and thankfully, logan has responded well to it. every time he goes to bed (naps and night time) without fighting it or getting out of bed, he gets to put a fuzzy ball in a jar. once the jar is full he gets to choose a toy, book or game. it has worked like a charm! there have been very few times that he hasn't gotten a fuzzy ball and the reminder of the fuzzy ball usually keeps him in his bed (that, and the threat of having his door closed). today he got his last fuzzy ball and filled up his jar and we went to wal-mart and he chose a movie!!

in addition to the sleep issues, he began to have quite the little attitude and seemed so frustrated and angry, hitting the air and having meltdowns at the drop of a hat. it almost seemed like the jealousy we thought we had avoided when emma was born has hit, a year later. so we've adjusted our bedtime routine to make sure logan gets some time just with dave and i and we are trying to make sure we have more one on one time with each of the kids. and slowly but surely things have gotten better. i feel like our sweet boy is back! don't get me wrong, he is still a toddler and definitely still has his "moments," but boy i am glad i'm his mom! and we are about to embark on another one of those "real parent" experiences: potty training. pray for us!

glimpses of our weekend

it was nice and low key.

we ate.

some got a little more into it than others.

 little miss decided it pretty much rocked to walk around the house with her push toy. she would go as far as she could, until she ran into a wall and then would continue to try and "push" her way (ie. ram her toy) through the wall. that tactic never worked as well as she hoped (the wall didn't move), but as soon as we turned her around she was off again! it was so fun to watch her "walking" around! she was pretty proud of herself and smiled and laughed the whole time. which made me smile, laugh and cheer for her!

navigating some tight spaces and getting a little help turning around from her brother

 logan loves to line up and race his cars. here was line-up tonight.

 bedtime stories and snuggles (with one of my book scores from a garage sale)

i also got to talk to my good friend on the phone for an hour and a half. it had been too long  since we'd talked and it was wonderful! i love those bonds that remain, even with time and distance! and as always, we're sad to see the weekend end (but excited next weekend is a long weekend).

i also got to talk to my good friend on the phone for an hour and a half. it had been too long and it was wonderful! i love those bonds that remain, even with time and distance! and as always, we're sad to see the weekend end. here's to a good week...

this and that

life lately 

(over about the past month)

the earring holder i made

easter sunday

emma's first bubble bath

i was able to attend women's conference at byu with my sisters at the end of april. it was absolutely amazing! it was so empowering to be around so many incredible women (first and foremost, my sisters)! i was so strengthened by the speakers, amazing women, who in so many instances were sharing lessons they learned from hard, hard experiences. what an inspiring 2 days. 

 

the beloved "y" in the background. i just have to say how much i love byu! it is such an amazing, unique place and i have so many wonderful memories there. it made me so happy to be back there!

at the concert they handed out electric tea lights and it was so awesome to look around and know each little light represented someone. it was a great reminder that we are not alone in this great work!

logan showing off his stamp from the zoo. it is a highlight of our visit there and he is always sad and confused when it suddenly disappears.

 i was paying bills in another room and logan was "coloring." apparently he forgot the rule that we only color on paper ;)

 riding nana's chair lift. a total highlight for the grandkids. not as exciting for nana (although she is soo grateful for it. just not happy she has to use it in the first place).

 emma's first ride in the car cart at the store

 my cherry tomato. we had a great play date at the park with our friends alison and ashton. unfortunately i forgot the sunscreen and totally fried my fair skinned baby girl. her face actually blistered. it was soo sad. and yes, now i have a thing of sunscreen that stays in the diaper bag. 

dave and i went to see the avengers. it was amazing! here was the invite i left for him the morning of our date. 

gammy and pappy hooked logan up with this superheros t-shirt that night. he loves it and goes around saying, "hulk smash!" and "i am ironman!" it is pretty darn adorable! 

this little girl loves necklaces and layers them on whenever she finds them. it is too cute and i just think she is the most adorable thing out there!

 emma caught a little stomach bug and threw up a couple of times (so sad) which meant no gym time for me. so we decided to get out of the house so i could go on a little run. she passed out by the time we got home.

logan helped me with some weeding

 i love how her feet are crossed at the ankles!