So nice to see you in the morning, Daddy!

The other morning Todd and I got up super early to work out. We're talking 5:00am here folks! I was running on the treadmill and lifting weights. Todd was out for a walk/run with Penny.

When he got back he found that the boys were up so instead of insisting that they go back and lay down in their beds till at LEAST 7am he thought he would cut them some slack and let them get up and play on their Nintendo DS games together.

Lately they have totally loved the download feature where they can play the same game together but each be on their own system at the same time.

It didn't take long before we heard (in voices way too loud for that time of morning) Kyyyyy-lllllllee!! WHY CAN'T YOU DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO???!!! (hmm, if Mommy and Daddy can't get you guys to do what WE want you to do what makes you think that Kyle will listen to you?....)

Because Todd had already told them to quiet down once already it was now time to take the gameboys away and have them do something else.

Todd came down to where I was working out told me I'd better put my heavy weight down for this. He said that when he went to take their games away Drew looked up in utter disgust and muttered, "Shouldn't you be at work by now??!!

Todd said he shot back with, "Shouldn't you be in bed??!!!"

Can you believe that these 2 boys could be so rude and disrespectful to their Daddy? I mean really! Don't they just look like two boys just looking for trouble two angels?

(sigh) We've got a lot more work to do with those 2!

More Sisterly E-Mail Fun (for Tiercy)

OK Tiercy asked for me to post more e-mail fun with my sisters if I got the chance... here we go trying to organize a total family outing to an amusemant park this summer.

Enjoy!

Mindy: Also, Mer and I were thinking (well, I shared my thoughts with her and she agreed) that we would try to go as a family to Dutch Wonderland instead of Sesame Place in the beginning of August. It is closer and still geared for kids so you don't get the white trash kissing in line. What does everyone think?



Michelle: I don't understand what you have against white trash kissing... if that's the case you and Shawn need to cool it ya know?


Meredith: We love to make out in line. Especially in my stretch jeans and halter half-shirt. I guess we won't go then.



Mindy: O-Kay Michelle and meredith will be kissing in line with their way too tight tops and bottoms. please make sure that Todd and Dan are wearing their wife beaters or at least have them tucked into their back pockets with their cutoff jean shorts



Michelle: Todd and I were thinking that since I've been working out I could pull off the bikini with unzipped cutoff jeans shorts look. Shoot... even without working out...



Mindy: These e-mail visuals are getting better by the minute

somtimes a mother brother needs a little help

You all are in for a treat. All because I'm laid up in bed with a bum back!

Dear sweet Todd stayed home today so I could really rest my back. I seem to have thrown it out once again. All I can think is how darn beautiful the weather is and how suh-weet it would be to go for a 3-4 mile run today. But alas here I lay... bored in bed... listening to Todd clean the ants that we seem to be plagued with this season out of the shed before he mows our back yard. Seriously, it has taken him more time to clean the shed then mow the little plot of land we call a backyard. Now he and the kids are going to a field to play soccer. At least some of our family can enjoy the nice weather... Jake has another ear infection... found out yesterday... and is sleeping. I guess there is no denying that I need to schedule an ENT appointment for him. Seems ear tubes might be in the cards for him after all.

Whew, more info about our family then you thought you were in for, huh?

Ok! Now to the point of all this... as I lay here resting I have been going through photos on the computer and found these from the fall of 2004. Drew is 20 months and Kyle is about 2 months.

Here buddy, you lost your paci. Let me help you with that!



Open up so I can get it in there will you?

What are you laughing at?

It sure does look good... do you mind if I try a little?

Ohhhhh yeaaaaah, that hits the spot!

Guess that Baby!!!

OK this is in honor of the ones who made me a Mommy in the first place! AND because I can't post a tribute to my Mommy and Todd's Mommy because my camera got left at my Mommy's house after our Mother's Day Brunch on Saturday. Soooo... you will have to be patient and wait to see the brunch photos and the treats I got on Mother's Day!

OK here it goes... in no particular order I present to you OUR CHILDREN!! See if you can guess who's who!

A.

B.

C.

D.

Boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh girl, do I love those kids!! (That's not a hint) Can't wait to see how you do on the guessing!

Our Weekend Away!

This post is long overdue!

A couple of weeks ago on April 19th Todd and I received the greatest gift.

A weekend ALONE. Like totally alone. With. No. Kids.

Todd told me that his wonderful Mom (Ann) and her Hubby (Al) had offered to watch our kids while we enjoyed the use of a condo of a friend of hers. The condo was in Ocean City, MD and it was RIGHT on the beach! Ann and Al and Uncle Blair arrived on Friday evening. It was like an army moving in to watch our little army. No seriously, the kids were so happy to get rid of us and enjoy being totally spoiled and having their every single wish instantly met to have Mom-Mom, Al and Uncle Blair all to themselves. We enjoyed dinner together and then we made our getaway.

We arrived late at night but we still managed to relax, open the balcony doors and listen to the sound of the waves rolling up on the shore before going to bed.

In the morning we opened the balcony once again to this view! We enjoyed doing NOTHING! No serving breakfast to 4 kids. No diaper changing. No refereeing. No doing ANYTHING we didn't want to do!

I actually read a book! At one point I looked up to see something catch my eye maybe 50 yards out from shore. As I kept looking to see what it was that caught my eye, I noticed like 20 dolphins frolicking in the surf. I was so excited that I had to call my Julianna and tell her what I was seeing. I tried to get pictures but by the time I grabbed my camera they were too far away already.

Todd on the balcony:

The kitchen:

The dining and living room:
On Saturday we walked on the boardwalk and grabbed lunch (crab cakes and beer) at a little place right there on the boardwalk. We noticed many people riding bikes up and down the boardwalk and noted where they were rented from. We decided that we just had to do this too on Sunday morning before we left for home.

Saturday afternoon we actually took a nap!! When is the last time I ever did that? Then we were off for dinner out and a movie later.

Sunday we got up early to head for the bike rental place. We were excited to enjoy a morning bike ride before our long ride home in the car.

But... when we showed up the place was closed. I guess the hours are different during the off season.

So we walked on the beach for a bit before heading home!

I have to say that this was one of the most relaxing getaways I have ever been on!

Thank you Ann and Al and Blair!

We sooooooooooooooo needed that!

Sisterly Sarcasm kept me Seriously in Stitches!

So here is a glimpse into my day. It started out with a little innocent e-mail being passed around between my sisters and my Mom. We are planning a Mother's Day Brunch for each other this Saturday. Basically it's just a plan to sit around and eat yummy breakfast food and drink mimosas all morning while our husbands watch the kids. Sounds like fun right?

Oh and some useful background info:

1-My Dad is a research chemist. He is now retired from NASA where he worked on Upper Atmospheric (ahem) stuff.

2- My Mom has an endearing habit of unwittingly changing the pronunciation of certain syllables in certain words. Whenever this happens in conversation my sisters and I look at each other and collapse in giggles. We can't help it. Our favorite words are: mozzarella and aqua. For some reason those come up often and are pronounced "mutzarelle" and "aaaqua"



Meredith: Hi! Just wanted to check in with everyone to 1) remind you guys that this Saturday is the Mother's Day brunch at Mom & Dad's house at 9:30am; and 2) see what everyone is planning to bring so that we don't have duplicates, etc.
Looking forward to seeing everyone - it has been way too long!


Mindy: Cheezy potatoes!


Michelle: Egg/Cheese/Sausage strata!


Mindy: What exactly is a strata? Shouldn't it just be called an egg dish with sausage and cheese? Or what happened to casserole???


Michelle: Spoken like a true culinary nit-wit!


Meredith: she is the daughter of a scientist - she was thinking of stratosphere.


Michelle: Actually, she takes after Mom too so it's more like strata-sphere.


Mom: I'm lost.


Mindy: you two are soooo funny! Maybe there will be something special in your cheezy potatoes.

Michelle: don't you mean cheezy patatoes?


Meredith: are you going to make them with mutzarelle?


Somewhere in the midst of all this my Mom replied just to Meredith (because we suspect that she does NOT know how to "reply all") that she was making her Amaratta (amaretto) fruit dip.


Oh Mommy, don't ever change! I love you JUST the way you are!

Funny Story

So Meredith calls me this morning and says she wants to ask me a question. Do I remember around mile 11 hearing this conversation:

Runner 1: (to her buddy... something to the effect of) Wow, our training is really paying off!

Runner 2: Yeah!

Runner A: (to her buddy... but close behind Runner 1 & 2) What? We were supposed to train for this?

Runner B: laughter

Runner 3: looks at A and rolls her eyes, smiles and says sarcastically... Ha ha, very funny!

I was stunned! How did Meredith know about a random conversation that I had along the race?
Turns out that her friend from work (with whom she wanted to hook me up with to run the race... but never got the chance to introduce us) was Runner A. Meredith asked A at work this morning if she thought she saw me along the race as we both ran 11 minute miles and had close to the same times. A said she didn't know what I looked like but that there was this one tough girl woman who was every bit as sarcastic as Meredith was and if A had to guess anyone to be Meredith's sister, that tough girl woman would be her.

Yes, you see what's coming don't you... allow me to introduce myself... I am runner 3.

I was cracking up! Of all the thousands of people running in the race I am identified by my sarcasm!

At least I am consistant!

Running in the Rain, Just Running in the Rain

Remember yesterday? I was whining and complaining about a little rain? Well, we got rain!
Here I am right before the race at 5:15am!! Notice the tilted picture? That's because Todd was still in bed and barely even sitting up.


Here is my own personal cheering section:
(note the ground is still dry)

Todd said that while the kids were waiting for me they were watching all the runners go by and started saying things like, "Poor Mommy! She's going to come in last!" He had to reassure them that it was great for ANYONE to just finish and that I was most certainly NOT going to be last!

When I got close to where they were waiting for me I saw them first. I got so choked with emotion (I can't believe I'm doing this! There is my wonderful family who loves me enough to stand in the rain to cheer me on!) that I literally couldn't speak. I wanted to call out to them but had to compose myself first. When they finally saw me I was right in front of them. All that waiting for a few seconds to see and cheer me on.

And now the ground is wet! This is me at mile 9.5! Not too bad, huh?



At around mile 6 my friend Lynde had turned to me and asked if it was just her or did the mile markers seem to be coming up fast? I agreed! I felt so good. Almost like I was flying! Then the rain started at mile 7. After the initial shock of the rain washing sweat into my eyes and making them burn it really was refreshing!

Does the rain make my butt look big?

My friend Lynde is in pink and her friend Becki is in the grey shirt. They were smart and wore hats. Note to self: in the future if rain is in the forecast... wear a hat!!!

At home with Kyle showing off my medal:

Let the knee icing begin!

All in all I was really pleased with my time 2:24:18 I averaged an 11min mile. Not fast, but considering I ran the whole way, not too bad either.

And now... now I have just finished registering Todd and I for the 1/2 Marathon in Maine on September 19th.

Maine here we come!!

Oh yeah, when will my knees be ready to run again?

What is the deal here???

So if you have been following me for a bit you know that my new thing is running and there is a race... a 1/2 marathon... TOMORROW!!!

It is raining.

It is not supposed to stop till like the end of the week or something like that.

It is supposed to be raining DURING the race tomorrow.

I (most certainly) did not train to run in the rain. I like things to be a certain way. My way! This was not in the plan.

Todd says to suck it up and stop being a baby. More refreshing to run in the rain instead of blazing heat. Remember the first weekend of May 9 years ago when you walked in the AVON 3 day walk? Remember the unseasonably HOT 98 degree weather??!!! Well you did that no problem and came home and took a test and found you were pregnant with Julianna! If you can do that then you can certainly do this!!!

At this point all I hear is blah, blah blah... didn't train all this time to quit now... blah, blah, blah...

UGH!! I DOOOOON'T WAAAAAAAAAAANT TO RUN IN THE RAAAAAAAAAIN!!!!!!

Fine, I'll go! I just reserve the right to whine about it!