Our Gingerbread House

On Monday night we made a gingerbread house for family home evening. I've been wanting to do it for a while, and thought that the boys would really enjoy it this year. I took the easy route and just bought a kit that was on sale at the store, but it sure made the preparation quick and easy! I did pick up some better candy at the store, so we'd have a little more variety.
As much as I thought that Matthew would enjoy it, I decided to put him to bed before the actual decorating. It was probably a good idea as it was busy enough keeping Jacob and Caleb from pulling down the house and eating too much candy.
It was a fun evening. I took charge of the frosting while Jeff, Jacob, and Caleb took on the role of the decorating with the candy. I was impressed with how well they did. They had some good ideas and I think our little house turned out pretty well.
Even though we got to bed pretty late, it was a fun evening and definitely something that I would like to make a tradition of. Now the trick is to keep the boys from eating the gingerbread house. I'd like it to be around as a decoration for a while, but I'll be surprised if it lasts though the week!

Tagged

A long time ago.... I was tagged by my cousin Michelle. I'm slow getting around to it, but here are 8 random facts about me.


1. I eat regular old-fashioned oatmeal almost every day for breakfast.

2. I can hold my breath for almost 2 minutes. Long enough to get through the long tunnels.

3. I like to wear jewelry, but not at home- it annoys me. The minute I walk in the door, the earrings, necklaces etc have to come off!

4. I love John Wayne movies.

5. I don't like raisins, but I will eat them in Raisin Bran.

6. I am the oldest child of an oldest child of an oldest child.

7. I have an unintentional habit of finding Jeff's Christmas presents to me. The best way to keep them secret is to tell me where they are, and I won't look. If he doesn't tell me, I will (accidentally) find them. I know what I'm getting this year.

8. I dislike, but am not afraid of spiders, bugs, and mice. I've once ended a mouses' life when I stomped on it...purposefully. I wanted it out of my house!

Visit to Jolly Old St Nick

A few days ago I needed to do a little Christmas shopping, so the boys and I went out and braved the stores together. Of course we had to spend some time in the toys section- and as many kids do, the boys kept asking if they could pleeaasee buy something. This is another reason I love the Christmas season, I can give them a good reason for why we're not going to buy toys. I told them that we couldn't buy it right then, but that they could tell Santa about the things they liked. We wanted to take the boys to see Santa at the mall, and since Jeff got off a little early on Friday, we decided it would be a good time to go.

On the way in, we stopped for a minute at a little toy store- there were a bunch of fun things that they boys enjoyed looking at. From there we made a quick stop at a shoe store to see if we could find some shoes for Caleb. He has one pair of hand-me-down tennis shoes that are getting too small, and that morning I couldn't find them anywhere so he'd been wearing his other hand-me-down, well worn Sunday shoes. We found a great pair that was on clearance for $3! So we were checking to see if they had any other shoes on sale in Jacob’s size. We were all standing there together, I turned to ask Caleb something and he was gone. He had already run down different isles in the small store a couple times, but this time he wasn’t in the store. It’s a mother’s worst nightmare- your child is lost at the mall! I went out of the store, looked both ways and couldn’t see him. I had a feeling that I needed to go left, so I went down a ways, and had a though that he probably went back to the toy store. So I ran down, and sure enough there he was, right in the front of the toy store looking at the games again. I was so grateful, and especially grateful that I had found him so quickly. As a mother, I can’t think of many worse feelings than having a lost child! This boy really needs a leash!

After Caleb got a good talking to, we made our way down to the mall Santa. The line wasn’t too bad, so we didn’t have to wait long. I knew we weren’t going to pay for the mall pictures, so I found a little spot where I could manage a shot. It wasn’t the greatest, but I was at least able to capture Matthew’s reaction- typical and pretty funny. "Save me from Santa!"Jacob and Caleb were able to tell Santa what they wanted, and got a little coloring book as a gift.

The boys-minus Matthew- had fun visiting Santa and I was grateful that we came home with all three children!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

One of my all-time favorite Christmas movies from the time I was young is, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." It's such a great little cartoon, the music and animation still make me smile. In the days of Redbox, you don't come across those older movies much anymore- especially in DVD form. I've been wanting to find the movie so my boys can see it and enjoy it as much as I used to. Today I was reminded of the coolness of YouTube. You can watch the entire movie! Given, it is in a series of three parts, but I think it's great! And it's accessible anytime I want it...even in July!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S3KM92s-pg

Attempted Pictures & Bowling

Jeff got off early today so we decided to attempt some family pictures. It didn’t quite go as planned, it was cold outside, it was raining, and the boys weren’t too excited. So we took three family pictures, called it good and decided to go bowling. (I did manage to get one cute one of Jeff and Matthew) Bowling is great on a Monday afternoon, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

(This picture makes me laugh, 'Bowling is so much more fun than family pictures!')

I’m impressed with how Jacob and Caleb are improving. Jacob bowled a spare all by himself, and both boys bowled a strike with some help. Matthew was a little rough, he kept wanting to pick up the bowling balls; obviously he couldn't do it, and it made him upset! He finally found a few other things to play with that kept him happy. His favorite toy was a nickel. He wouldn’t put it in his mouth, he just carried it around and dropped it on the hard floor and chairs. As we were leaving the bowling alley, we were able to see the crooked “frowny face” formation in the sky. (A crescent moon, Jupiter and Venus. Anyone else see it?) The boys thought it was pretty cool. We might not have gotten any great family pictures, but we did have a fun afternoon.

Matthew before pictures: wanting to come outside

Our "Happy" Place

This corner of our apartment has quickly become the "happy" place. The boys love the Christmas tree and lights, and this is usually where I find them playing. I'm glad they love the Christmas decorations so much, even if it does mean that I find all the little decorations stashed around the house, and occasionally the Christmas tree toppled on its side.

Temple Trip

During the week, we decided to make a trip to the temple on Saturday. It’s been a little while since we’ve been down, plus we had missed Mike and Kimber on Thursday so we thought it would be fun to meet up again. We were both a little low on sleep, so getting up at 4:45am was a little rough, but my attitude changed quickly when I woke the boys up and they were so excited to be going to the temple. Jacob woke up on his own and said, “Mom, I’m so excited, we get to go to the temple!” They were both super happy and helpful. Matthew on the other hand was a little grouchy, but cheered up once he got his sippy cup with milk.

The drive is definitely longer from here, over 4 hours. The good thing is that there aren’t any tolls and with gas being so much cheaper ($1.77 a gallon!) it was a long, but cheap trip. Jeff and I took turns driving while the other caught a little sleep. Unfortunately when we were almost there I took a wrong exit and we ended up going around Washington DC and then up through the downtown-sites. We were later than expected, but we made it.

Jeff did a session first and I got the boys dressed -we took them in pajamas, and then we spent some time in the visitor’s center looking at all the pictures, and displays as well as the huge assortment of beautiful Christmas trees I opted out of the ‘nativity’ displays. It was a room filled with all sorts of beautiful nativity sets…I could just imagine what could happen with three curious little boys…yikes. After the visitor’s center we got our lunches out of the car and did a little picnic lunch. The day was beautiful and sunny so we were comfortable sitting outside. Somehow during all this time, I missed Kimberly’s phone call that they were at the temple. So they ended up going in just before Jeff came back out to meet us. I hurried in after and was able to do a session.

After I finished, I met up with everyone else and we had fun visiting for a while. We decided to go get something to eat and went to Baja Fresh. It was a lot of fun. I love being able to spend time with Kimberly & Mike. The boys absolutely love them, and we feel fortunate to be able to spend so much time with them. We enjoyed our time eating, talking, and laughing. It was sad to say goodbye, Caleb wanted to go with Aunt “Bobo” and Uncle Mike, but we convinced him to come back with us. We would miss our Caleb! From there, we started our long drive home. Fortunately we didn’t make any wrong turns on the way home, and Jeff and I enjoyed having the time to visit on the way back. We do a lot of driving and traveling, and even though it can get old at times, I love having that time to talk with Jeff. And once again, I had the camera and great intentions…but came home without any pictures. We got home late Saturday night, but really had a great day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a fun Thanksgiving this year. Originally we were planning on making a trip to Virginia to be with Kimberly & Mike, but Jeff ended up having to work early Friday morning so rather than make long drives only to turn around a few hours later, we decided it would be best to just stay here in Wilkes-Barre. It actually ended up really fun. The bishop’s wife told me that a big group of people would be going to the church for Thanksgiving dinner. So I made homemade rolls, a dessert, and fruit w/dip and we went to the church. It ended up being so much fun. We were able to meet lots of people and having fun socializing with everyone. There were a couple younger families and one in particular that also has three little boys about our kids’ ages. It wasn’t quite like being at Grandma’s with family, but a great alternative when you’re far away.

Thursday night after coming home, we thought about going bowling, but didn’t get back soon enough. So we ran a couple errands and actually stopped at a pre-Black Friday sale. Michaels had cricut cartridges on sale for $29.99! (they’re normally $90), so I was able to run in quickly that night and didn’t have to go out at 5am on Friday morning. I left that fun experience to Jeff. When we got home we played board games with the boys, and then Jeff and I watched a movie. We bought a game for the boys about a year ago, it’s a Leap Frog board game called the “Globe Game.” You get around the board by finding animals/places/things on the blow-up globe. I guess it’s a good way to incorporate geography at a young age. Anyways, the boys love it…especially Matthew who loves to grab the game pieces, cards, and globe. He’s definitely strong willed, and not easily distracted! My only regret for Thanksgiving is that I didn’t get any pictures. I had good intentions, but it just didn’t happen. They did take a group picture at the dinner, so hopefully I’ll be able to get a copy.

When I asked the boys what their favorite part of Thanksgiving was, Jacob replied, “Eating pumpkin pie & making new friends.” Caleb’s reply left me feeling a little guilty, he said, “Umm, bowling.” Oops. We’ll get there soon.

I was pretty proud of Jeff on Friday. In the past, Jeff and I have been fans of Black Friday and enjoy getting out and getting the deals. Once you add kids to the picture, it changes. Jeff has become our ‘sale’ man. We usually don’t get much, and sometimes he doesn’t even go out. This year he mapped it out and was out at 5am. He hit Walmart first and then Target, getting a few things, some pjs for the boys, and a few other things- mostly cheap DVD’s. We’re still trying to restock our Disney DVD collection after the car break-in incident this summer. Jeff was out and back by 7, then headed into work at 8. I was impressed! After lunch, the boys and I had fun setting up the Christmas tree and pulling out all the Christmas decorations. It's become a fun over the past couple years.

I love Thanksgiving. It was a fun holiday with the family.

My Greatest Blessings

A Nice Slow Week

This past week has been nice & slow! It’s fun to be busy and active, but every so often I love a week with not much to do! Here are some random things from the past week along with some random photos. (This profile shot of Matthew looks a lot like me as a baby.)

The weather has gotten cold with some days’ high only into the upper 20’s. My boys have been thrilled to see snowflakes falling sporadically throughout the week- nothing has really stayed on the ground, but it’s fun to see the snow anyways- especially with Christmas music playing on the radio. (Matthew loves dancing to the music while wearing my race medal- he puts it on by himself.)

I’ve finally come to the conclusion that Matthew is completely and utterly a daddy’s boy. I know he loves me, but if he ever has the choice between the two of us…he will almost always choose Jeff first. All of our boys have loved their daddy, but Matthew is by far the biggest daddy’s boy! When Jeff leaves for work in the morning, Matthew will run to the door and just cry, even if I’m with him. And when Jeff comes home from work, Matthew will literally drop everything he’s holding/doing and run to him. He loves to be with Jeff, play with him, and give him kisses. It’s so sweet and Jeff sure loves having his little buddy.

With the weather being so cold we haven’t spent much time outside; 25 degree days just aren’t much fun for playing outside. Tuesday afternoon the boys were going a little stir crazy so I remembered something we used to do as kids- make paper airplanes. The boys had fun coloring their papers then having them folded into airplanes and spend the rest of the day (and the rest of the week) flying their airplanes around the house. It’s amazing what a little paper can do for entertainment!

For FHE this week we did one of my favorite lessons- the “Thankful Tree”. I love doing it with the boys and seeing the different things they’re thankful for. (Food, books, grandma, friends, milk, ninja turtles, bed, Jesus…) We had fun writing things on leaves and sticking them up on the tree.

26.2 Miles....POST RACE FUN

I think the most fun from the trip came after the marathon. We were really able to enjoy some fun time with Mike & Kimber, and Scott & Amanda. It took a little while to actually get out of Richmond. A few of us wanted to shower before the car ride home, and then the traffic was pretty bad trying to get out of the city. Eventually we made it back to Charlottesville where Kimberly had prepared a yummy dinner for everyone. We all enjoyed eating and visiting, and our boys especially enjoyed running around free. I think Matthew especially was tired of being stuck in his carseat & stroller. He was so happy running around the apartment.
After the kids were in bed, the adults stayed up for a while longer visiting and of course playing a few games. Amanda and I had some good laughs at our blister-covered toes, and gimpy ‘cowboy’ walking. We're both definitely going to loose some toenails... probably 3-4 for me. It's great being partners as "mothers, sisters, outlaws, and marathoners." We finally went to bed late Saturday night only to get up and get ready for 8:30am church the next morning. It was fun to be together and our only complaint was that we didn’t have enough time together. I was pleased that I wasn’t too sore- I even managed some cute 3-inch heels without much trouble. I was sore, but not as bad as I thought I would be. (In fact, my biggest complaint was the horrible cold I developed Sunday morning. By the time we got home Sunday night I had lost my voice completely- my boys laugh at me because I literally ‘squeak.’ I still don’t have it back today.) After church we enjoyed another yummy lunch, and then sadly it was time to finish packing and head for home.
Kimber and Mike took Scott and Amanda to the airport and we drove for home in the other direction. The boys were sad to be leaving. Caleb asked on the way home, “Where’s Aunt Bobo? I love Aunt Bobo. I miss Aunt Bobo.” Even though it was a quick trip, I’m so grateful we were able to enjoy the trip with family. We’ll definitely have some wonderful memories from this one!

Couple Random Thoughts
- Don’t get emotional during races, you just end up with red eyes in pictures.
- Having great marathon-training running partners to run with is priceless. I’ve missed you over the past few weeks Melissa & Jamie - it’s just not the same running alone!

26.2 Miles.....THE MARATHON

(More pictures to follow from Scott & Kimberly. Thanks guys for being great photographers!)

Even with little sleep, I was excited for the race. It was so fun to be with Scott & Amanda, and great to see Kimberly that morning who had made the drive from Charlottesville to be with us at 6:30 in the morning. There was a great feel in the air and it was fun to be around all the other runners.

I was so excited to be running with Amanda- I’ve never been able to run with a family member and it’s been almost a year since we’ve seen each other so we were excited. We both had about the same estimated time so we started together in the same corral. When the gun went off, we were off! It was fun to visit and observe everything along the course. I would have loved to have run the entire race with Amanda but my race took a little turn.

The weather forecast had called for lots of rain, thunder, wind etc. It was supposed to be in the 50’s when the race started and I thought it would probably be pretty cool through the whole race. So I opted for running capris & a long-sleeved shirt over a tank top. By the time we got to the starting line where Scott was getting ready to start his half marathon I knew it was going to be warmer that I expected and ditched the long-sleeved shirt, but it was too late to change into shorts. I was counting on a cooler race, and did not expect a mid-November race to be sunny, hot & humid with a temperature of 70 degrees!

The first few miles I was feeling great, the miles just flew by, Amanda and I were easily keeping pace with the 3:40 group. A lot of runners talk about hitting “The Wall” at some point during the marathon. Most say it hits somewhere between mile 16-20. Well, mine literally ‘hit’ with a bang at mile 5. I felt hot, sick, and tired; and all of a sudden my bladder went into hyperactive mode. I’ve never had to make a stop during a long run; during the marathon I had to make four. From mile 5, I knew my goal race was over. From mile 6 on I was already taking breaks to walk. I felt dehydrated no matter how much I drank. At every 2-mile stop I was pouring water over myself to cool down. That worked okay until mile 19 when my shoes were completely soaked with water. I had to take off my shoes to try and wring out the water from my socks & inserts and ended up with some pretty impressive blisters from the water. On my 18-mile run a few weeks before, I ran a 2:29. At mile 18 in the marathon I was at 3 hours. I was expecting to finish the race well under a 3:59. I finished the marathon in 4:29.

I think the time is respectable for anyone, and I’m happy that I finished a marathon! I think the most frustrating thing was that I had worked so long and hard to accomplish a goal, and it turned out so differently than I expected. For months I’ve gotten up at 5:30am, four days a week- including Saturdays, to go running. I’ve pushed myself and worked hard to improve my times and was felt so encouraged for the marathon- like the goal was really within my grasp. But then when the moment arrives, like a bad dream-I just watched everything slip away and didn’t even come close.

At the same time, even though I feel some disappointment, I’m so grateful for the experience. It was an amazing and humbling experience. I was so appreciative of all the support and encouragement along the way. The Richmond marathon was an awesome race. The course was beautiful and the set-up, organization, and especially crowd support was amazing. There were spectators cheering you along the entire way and I can’t say enough what a strength and help all the spectators were. They were awesome! There were bands and music along the course, there were people with hoses & sprinklers set up for the runners to run through, there were people cheering your name & encouraging you along. I can see why it’s been named, “The Friendliest Marathon” I’ve never experienced anything like it. In fact there were a couple points throughout the race where I was a little emotional. It wasn’t from the misery I was feeling, but from the incredible gratitude I felt towards everyone around me. There were people cheering your name & encouraging you on- people who didn’t even know you. There were runners that would encourage you to keep going and give words of inspiration even though they were going through the same pain you were. As silly as it may sound, for me the marathon was even somewhat of a spiritual experience.

As I rounded the last corner, Kimberly was there on the side with a big poster cheering me on. It was so incredible to finally see that 26-mile marker and the nothing had looked more beautiful than the finish line at the end of the road. The cheering from the spectators was deafening during that last stretch and I can’t even explain the emotions I was feeling at this point. After I crossed the finish line and got a medal, I looked around for all the family. I was so grateful to see them and grateful to have finally completed the goal of a marathon. Even though it wasn’t quite the experience I had anticipated, it was awesome and I would do it all over again. I’d like to do another marathon someday, and hopefully I’ll be able to beat my previous time for a new personal record. Right now I’m going to thoroughly enjoy a little break, and trade in my mileage loaded shoes for some new ones!

26.2 Miles...THE INTRODUCTION TO THE RACE

Well, the much anticipated weekend is now over. I ran my first marathon on Saturday in Richmond, Virginia. And although the race didn’t turn out quite the way I had hoped, it was a great experience and a super fun weekend with family! Plus we've all enjoyed some good laughs about our "Series of Unfortunate Events."
I guess it started with the events leading up to the actual marathon. We are about 7 hours away from Richmond and knew it would be a busy day leading up to our trip. Jeff had to see patients Friday morning so we were a little late getting off. Jeff had a lecture in Philadelphia at 3:30pm. Following the lecture, he also had a dinner that he needed to attend that started at 6:30pm. I had some errands I had to run, so after spend an hour in traffic getting to the stores, the boys and I ran errands- picking up umbrellas, hats, rain gear, snacks, energy gel packs, etc. (Sidenote: The weather forecast was calling for severe thunderstorms, lots of rain & wind at the race) We had stopped to get the boys some food on the way because they were hungry, and I let them play on the indoor playground for a little while after they ate.
When Jeff called me to let me know he was done it was 8:15pm. I was still trying to get a few things, and hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Luckily my friend Stefanie let me drop by her house to hurry & cook some pasta before heading out to get Jeff. When I picked him up, we printed out directions and were finally on the road at 9:30 with a 4 ½ hour drive ahead of us in the rain. The plan was that Jeff would drive while I slept, but there was enough excitement during the trip that sleep wasn’t going to happen.
This is where the fun starts. Around 10:30, Matthew has woken up and is crying because he’s thirsty. I can’t find his sippy cup anywhere, so we decide to just make a quick stop at Walmart & also withdraw some money for tolls. When we pull in, our car battery dies- no problem, it does that often when the weather is rainy. Jeff wiggles the battery cables & it starts up again. Then he runs into the store that is closing and grabs a sippy cup and gets $60 cash back. When he gets back to the car, we get everyone settled and take off. As we’re driving down the on-ramp about 30mph suddenly the hood flips up completely and we can’t see anything. Although it looked like it was closed after Jeff worked on the battery cables, it hadn’t locked completely. Fortunately there weren’t many cars on the on-ramp at 11pm and we were able to pull over to the side. It quickly became apparent that the hood was completely bent and wasn’t going to shut. Jeff- still dressed in his nice clothes- tried to do everything he could to get the hood shut. We didn’t have all our tools, so he used a trailer hitch as a hammer to try and bang it back into shape, and a few other things to get it bent back to where it needed to be. It didn’t work. After an hour of being there on the side of the road, with all kids wide-awake, and getting a hole in his nice dress pants, Jeff knew it wasn’t going to close & just tried to get the hood tied down with cables.
So we were off again. About 20 minutes after that, Jeff realized that the cashier at Walmart had forgotten to give him his $60 cash back. They were already closed, so we’d just have to call the next day.
At this point the steady rain had turned into a downpour and all the signs having warning signs of dense fog on top of that. Our windshield wipers weren’t very good so Jeff had a hard time seeing real well. Because he couldn’t see the lane lines very well, and because our hood wasn’t properly latched, he was swerving a little and it wasn’t too long before we saw the flashing lights of a police car in our rear-view mirror. Jeff explained the whole situation and fortunately the policeman was very understand and let us off with a warning to be more careful. (He also let us know that there were still a couple tools sitting on our bumper)
At this point it’s 2am, and still very rainy and foggy, although the lightening did light up the sky every 5 minutes or so, and we’re trying to find a gas station or truck stop that would carry windshield wipers. After about 4 stops with no luck we decided to just go the rest of the way.
We pulled into Richmond, and to the first hotel at 3:45am. I was staying with Scott & Amanda at their hotel because it was only 8 blocks from the starting line. All the other close hotels were booked. Poor Jeff still had to drive another 10 minutes to his hotel and get checked in with the boys.
So I got into the hotel, did a few things and climbed into bed at 4am. It was hard to fall asleep at that point- but I did manage to get some sleep before my alarm went off at 6:25.

This is definitely one trip we will remember. In fact, we were laughing about it with the family the next morning. I'm sure it will be one of our "classics." And we're definitely going to need a new car hood!

Bowling at Chacko's

One of the great things about working at a veterans’ hospital is that you get Veteran’s Day off. It was nice to have Jeff home all day on Tuesday. I was able to go on a run a little later in the morning, which was great considering the weather at 6:40am was only 26 degrees plus wind chill.

We decided to take the boys bowling in the afternoon. Jeff found a great little place about 10 minutes away. I just love the small town feel here, the bowling alley had a typical ‘old fashioned feel’ with a little arcade, burger & fry eatery, and was full of families, teenagers, and old vets enjoying the afternoon. Everyone there was sweet as could be. As another huge bonus, other than the bbq & burgers, it’s a smoke-free facility.

The boys had a blast picking out their bowling balls, and helping Jeff order a pizza & fries; and as expected, their favorite part was the bowling. They did very well, and Jacob even managed a spare almost all by himself. Caleb showed his typical personality saying, “I wanna do it myself!” every time. Jeff and I liked to give Caleb little assistance just so his ball would actually make it down the lane in under 5 minutes. It was pretty funny to watch the boys- and all the dropped balls, kicked balls, almost-thrown-down-the-wrong-lane balls. Caleb accidentally stepped over the line at one point and had a pretty impressive, but otherwise painless, slip onto his backside. Matthew wanted to get at the bowling balls too, but we managed to keep him away. He entertained himself by running around by the candy machines, and playing with the line ropes at the snack bar.

Jacob and Caleb had pretty good games with scores of 73 and 62. Jeff and I didn’t bowl too stellar, but we were both over 100, and Jeff was well ahead of me. I think I’ve become a bit wimpy over the years. I used to regularly bowl with a 12-14 pound ball. Tuesday I was bowling with the 8-pounder. I guess I can chalk it up to my long runs, and lack of weight-lifting. Lots of running+ no strength training= wimpy mama! At least I wasn’t sore the next day. It was a fun afternoon and a great way to celebrate the holiday. And thanks to all the Veterans for your service to our country!

More Ninja Power

I just unpacked our camera and found a few more fun pictures of Halloween, the preschool party, and of the boys sportin' their cool ninja costumes. They had a blast pretending to get the 'bad guys' and were sad to see their costumes packed away. Matthew wasn't sad at all. I think he was glad when I finally stopped putting the dragon costume on him- he was a pretty good sport though!

New Discoveries

1- Tin foil makes a fabulous toy! The boys found an old roll of tin foil yesterday and have spent the morning making all sorts of toys, animals, and airplanes. Jacob even told me, "Mom, we don't have to buy any toys, we can just make our own!"

2-Playing Hide-and-Seek is lots of fun! Even if Matthew is a horrible partner, he gives away your hiding place every time.

Our "New" Home

Most people have known for a little while that we were going to make a temporary move. As part of the schedule, Jeff has two 4-month rotations during his 3^rd & 4^th year working at a veteran’s hospital. We had a couple of options. We could have kept our same apartment, and I could have stayed while Jeff commuted; but it would have meant that Jeff would commute up (2.5 hours away) to the hospital at the beginning of the week, and would have spent the entire week up there, and come home on the weekend. That would have left me pretty much on my own all week for four months. Not only that, but Jeff would have been commuting during the winter time and the area gets a lot of snow. After a little discussion we decided to all move up together. The good thing is that the hospital provides the housing for the residents. So we’ll be able to be together during the rotation, and won’t have to pay rent or utilities. The only downfall is that it’s a small 1-bedroom apartment. So it’ll be a little crazy- we’ll be pretty cozy for a few months. But given the other option of being apart, we wouldn’t have it any other way- we’d much rather be together! Plus we’ll save some money. It’ll definitely be an adventure, but I think we’ll have fun. This also isn’t a one-time happening, we’ll have to do this again during he last 4 months of his 4^th year. We haven’t yet decided whether we’ll stay in the 1-bedroom provided housing again or rent something else. But we’ll definitely be able to look back on some funny times during our 8+ years of med school & residency.

At this point, all I can say is that I’m glad it’s Monday and we’re finished with our move. (There is still a lot of unpacking that needs to happen, but I’m not too worried…) Saturday morning I got back from a 13-mile run, and running a few errands at 9:30. Jeff had the boys all fed and dressed and was working on packing. Jeff and I have done a lot of moving over the years, and I can honestly say that it only gets harder every time. We don’t have tons of things, but you do accumulate things over the years, especially children’s things. We had a couple friends over at 11 to help Jeff load the trailer, make trips to the storage unit, and carry down the heavier furniture. (Thanks Colby & Crosses’-we couldn’t have done it without you!)

The rest of the day was pretty much a blur. Lots and lots of packing, organizing, cleaning, lots of DVD movies for the boys- it definitely was not the greatest “mother” day on Saturday…, I’m just glad it’s done. We ended up pulling an all-nighter and left early (8am) Sunday morning. We were bummed that we missed church in our new town (it started at 9:30), but we were both tired enough that we had to stop for a while on the drive up.

I was so excited to see our new little place. Our new city is a beautiful, quiet little place. There are only about 34,000 people and it’s right in the beautiful mountains that are just full of color with all the fall leaves..

Our apartment is a little small- just 1 bedroom, but I would guess that it’s very similar to the size of our old apartment. So we have one less bedroom, but that means that the living room, bedroom, and kitchen are all bigger. I love the layout and design, and I think that we’ll really enjoy being here for the next four months.

The apartment complex we live in is just a 7 minute walk from Jeff’s work, so we can see his hospital and he walks to work every morning. It’s a very quiet, clean, nice area, and we’ve seen a few kids around. We have the bottom, corner apartment-it’s nice to have a break from stairs for a little while. You walk right into the living room that also has a decent sized storage closet. The dining room is also right next to the living room & there is a big sliding door/window that leads to a little patio right out the back. While we don’t have a fenced yard, there is a big grassy area between buildings that the boys love to run around and play on, as well as a little playground in the complex that is about a 3 minute walk away. The kitchen has less counter space, but it’s good sized & has a dishwasher & disposal. The bathroom is a little small, but it’s cute & very blue. The bedroom is good sized, plenty of room for a queen bed & about 3 dressers. And the walk-in-closet is plenty big for clothes and Matthew’s pack-n-play. There are really only 2 downfalls: 1- is that there isn’t a washer & dryer 2- there isn't really a place to run, which makes it a little difficult since my marathon is just over a week away.

It really is a great little place and we're excited to be here. I’ll take pictures and post them once I get our new place more in order & unpack our card reader. Right now I’m enjoying getting settled and not having much else to worry about. I’m excited to spend time enjoying and having fun with my kids.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I always used to wonder if I would love Halloween as much as an adult as I did when I was younger. I didn’t even need to worry, Halloween is just as much fun as an adult. I love seeing my kids get excited, wearing their costumes, and taking them trick-or-treating. Of course, raiding the treat bucket is also fun. J I’m afraid when they get older, they won’t be as excited about piling everything together in one bowl.

Even though we had a lot to finish before moving day, we wanted to take the kids trick-or-treating. It was a great night, not too cold, and we just went to a nearby neighborhood. It was great, the kids loved every minute of it. Caleb after every house would say, “Let’s go get some more!” People around here definitely know how to hand out the treats. You only have to trick-or-treat for about 30 minutes before your bag is full of all the good candy, big candy bars, and lots of chips. Matthew had fun riding around in the stroller and looking at all the fun decorations.

When we got home, we let the kids each choose one piece of candy, then got them ready for bed and stayed up for a few more hours of packing. I think I would have stayed up longer, but I also needed to get up at 6am for a 13-mile run the next morning. It was a fun Halloween, and I’m sure glad we were able to enjoy the night together.

Lack of Posts

This week has been pretty crazy with everything going on and trying to get packed up to move. Everything just always takes longer than you would think, especially when you’re trying to pack with three active little boys.

On Wednesday night, there was a girls night at Teresa Green’s house. It was fun to go and spend some time with all the girls. Most people dressed up in their costumes, I had great intentions, but when it got down to it, my costume was already packed & I was feeling fortunate to have even gotten out of the house with make-up on. It was a fun night and great to enjoy the company. The other great part of the evening was to come home and watch the Phillies win the World Series!! Yea PHILLS!

Thursday morning was the preschool Halloween party. I signed up a few months ago to help out, and I’m glad I was able to go. My friend Sara watched Matthew for me while I went- I really appreciated it! At the party, each volunteer came up with an activity for the kids to do. I decided it would be fun to decorate sugar cookies. It got a little crazy, and some of the kids probably got a little too much candy, but they really had fun decorating their Halloween sugar cookies. At the end of the party, they all lined up outside to sing us a few Halloween songs- it was pretty cute. I can’t believe my boys are getting so old.