Thanksgiving 2011

We hosted my family for Thanksgiving this year and had a wonderful day together! We had so much food and so much fun, that we did it all over again the following day!

At dinner, my mom suggested we go around the table and say something that we were thankful for. Of course, all of the adults kind of snickered at the thought, but without hesitation, Genevieve declared, "Ok! I'll go first!" She continued..."I am thankful for God."

That brought warm fuzzies to my heart. And as soon as she finished, Jocelyn offered what she was thankful for. "My mommy!"

Wow, those 2 girls had just made my day! :)

I am constantly amazed and thankful for the family I have. I am definitely one blessed person!

With the 4 day weekend, Sam and I were also able to enjoy of skiing on Saturday and then decorating for Christmas on Sunday.

The 24 Hour Burrito

Before I start this post, I will warn you that some of you may read this and think that I am a terrible, horrible, no-good mother that tortures my children. I refer to myself as a parent that doesn't let in to a will full child. :)

Jocelyn is my picky eater. I think I have posted about this before. She is also my child that suffers (or I guess suffered) with extremely low blood sugar resulting in hospitalizations. So, she HAS to eat.

Last night for dinner, we had burritos at a fairly early time of 5pm. Loaded with yummy beans, home-made mexican rice, and all of the usual tasty toppings. Jocelyn ate 1/4 of hers. So, after way to much arguing about it, we told her that if she doesn't eat it, she will have it for breakfast in the morning. She was fine with that.

So this morning, we warmed it up for her. She might have had 2 nibbles, but it went otherwise untouched. I figured she had to be starving since really she hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon. We explained to her that we were going to church and after church we needed to run some errands and would probably hit up Burger King but that if she didn't finish her burrito before church, we would bring it with us and she would eat that instead. She was fine with that.

After church, I warmed it up again (by this time, it is super soggy!) and took it in the car with us. She wouldn't touch it claiming that it was disgusting! (Well, yeah, actually by now it was, but that was not the point.)
Genevieve enjoyed her Burger and Fries while Jocelyn watched her silently.
That was actually really sad.

We get home and have to give her a nap. By this time, I am starting to get a little worried about her blood sugar. I offer another time before she goes to bed telling her that when she wakes up, that's what she'll have if she doesn't eat it now. Nope. She's not going to do it.

After her nap, we start decorating our Christmas tree and realize she isn't helping at all, but rather laying sluggishly on the couch. I decide that the girl probably needs some food. And I am not about to give her anything but the darn burrito. Because really, if you come this far, why give up now, right?!

I pricked her finger to check her blood sugar. Obviously, it's low, but not dangerously low. That is reassuring. The prick made her cry though, so I held her and explained how if she didn't eat her burrito, she would get really sick and have to go to the hospital, etc. I offered to feed it to her while I held her and she agreed. Did you hear that? SHE AGREED!

And she ate it. Every last bit of it. And she hated every bite! It may have taken her 24 hours, but she ate her dinner!
And that folks is how NOT to give in to the will full child.

Jocelyn-isms

What Jocelyn says (with her arms crossed as she stomps down the hall) when she is extremely frustrated with her mom and dad:

"HOLY MOLY COW!"

What Jocelyn says when she is excited about something:

"HOLY MOLY SPICY GUACAMOLE!"

What Jocelyn says when I tell her that she doesn't have to eat a turkey sandwich for lunch (because she hates meat):

"It must be a really special day today because I get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!"

Gotta love that girl!

Soccer Mom

I signed both girls up for Yakima Youth Soccer. Bought them new cleats, shin guards, soccer socks, the works. And then I sat back waiting for the games to start when I could sit back and watch them play.

And then I got a call that both of their teams (separate age groups) were going to be combined to make one large enough team and that still, the only way for them to play, was for me to coach.

What?! Yeah, that's what I said too. But, some how I got weaseled into it. Not only did I know very little about the rules of soccer, but the last thing I wanted to do was "coach/mother" both of my girls on the field.

I took one for the team and successfully coached the "Butterflies."

(and by successfully, I strictly mean that I completed my obligation. It has nothing to do with the way the team played soccer.) :)

Just kidding. My little butterflies made a HUGE improvement from the first to the last game. The first one was painful. No one knows the actual score, but it was in the 20's for other team to 1 for us. Not to mention there are only 2 - 16 minute halves each. Yeah, it was brutal.

The last game, well, we still got our butts kicked then too, BUT we were way more defensive (and offensive for that matter) and we had our heads in the game.

And I know what some of you are thinking...but I am here to set it straight, I DO NOT drive a mini-van. :)

Introducing...

Ariel and Rapunzel (aka Jocelyn and Genevieve in case their disguises were just THAT good!)

Portland Marathon

I still remember that night in January. In fact, it was the first day of January at about midnight. And maybe there was some drinking involved as we rung in the new year! At any rate, a group of friends were talking about running and races.

Then, we started talking about a marathon. Well, we had actually discussed it before then, but it was just that...a discussion. And we had talked about the Portland marathon being a good one because of it's location, (within driving distance) degree of difficulty (in terms of elevation gain) and the time of year it was being held. But again, it was a discussion. A silly discussion that was being had while under the influence. :)

And then a few days later, Sam officially registered for the Portland Marathon. And then Ben did. And then Vanessa did. And they were waiting for me to register. I remember heavily considering the half marathon option. I could be done 2 hours before them! And it didn't scare me to think about, like the full 26.2 miles did. But they all had their hand in convincing me that I could run a marathon and in the end, I succumbed to peer pressure. I registered to run the 2011 Portland Marathon! What had I done?

10 months went by and I found myself with Sam, Ben, and Vanessa at the starting line. And then again, 5 hours later at the finish line! I ran 26.2 miles. I ran a marathon. And then I quickly crossed it off my bucket list. And I most likely will never add "run another marathon" to my bucket list. :)

To sum up my thoughts during the race, I would say that the first 13 miles were actually pretty easy. At about 18 miles, I hit the dreaded "wall." At about 23 miles, I mentally checked out. In fact, I cried a little. Not too much, I just had to get it out of my system. :) Although there was only 3 more miles, it equated to 30 minutes. 30 more minutes that I didn't think I had in me. And at that point my whole body HURT. I couldn't even point out 1 particular thing. No blisters, no bum knees or hips, no charlie horses, just generalized pain. With every step. In the rain. The last mile was BRUTAL, in terms of running it, but the surroundings were amazing! Spectators lined the streets, shouting, ringing cowbells, encouraging us all. I kind of felt famous. And hearing my first and last name announced as I crossed the finish line brought back more tears.

Kuddos to the Portland Marathon Association. They sure do know how to treat the finishers. Blankets, roses, tree seedlings, 2 shirts, 3 medals, and any kind of food you could ever want.

It was a very memorable day and I am proud to say that I accomplished something that I never would have thought I would EVER do! I was so happy to have my husband there with me sharing the experience (as well as 2 very good friends!)

From now on, I will stick to half-marathons! :)

Jocelyn's Bus Ride

I don't think Jocelyn cared much about the fact that she was going to a pumpkin patch, or that she would go through a hay maze, or go on a tractor ride, or go to a petting zoo, or even get her own pumpkin. Nope, none of that stuff is very exciting. But the mode of transportation, well, that is a whole different story. The girls has literally been counting down the days to "Ride the School Bus."

Her good buddy in class, Ariel

Preschool Class Picture

She'll eat whatever

I love that I have an extremely non-picky eater. (Genevieve.)

On the way home from school today she said, "Mom, thank you so much for putting grapes in my lunch. Tomorrow can you please pack me some bell peppers?"

Lately, she will ask me for a "healthy snack...like some tomatoes sliced with salt and pepper on them."

She has always been like this. This is a picture of her from 3 years ago. :) She is so easy to please!

Side Note: God blessed me with her extreme ease of food since I have to deal with her lovely sister who thinks the world revolves around bread products and beans. I still wonder if Jocelyn is a veggie-less vegan!

The ever-changing Genevieve

In 1 months time, She has...

Lost her first 2 teeth!

Learned to ride her bike WITHOUT training wheels!

And started Kindergarten!

(This picture makes her look very unsure of herself. She really does love it! But the good ones taken outside were on my phone and aren't uploading nicely.)

She has also completely disobeyed me when I tell her to stop growing up! ;)

Jocelyn's 1st Day of Preschool

Ok, so technically it's her 1st day of her 2nd year of Preschool, but I'm still proud of her! She was very excited to go and is proud that it is now "her preschool" and not "Jenna's preschool" since Jenna has moved on to Kindergarten. (Don't worry, her post is coming soon!) :)

Girls Weekend!

I enjoyed good friends, food and entertainment in Seattle over Labor Day Weekend. Sam was nice enough to let me go while he stayed home with the kids. The weather was absolutely beautiful and I was lucky recipient of blistered feet from all of the walking we did!

We went to a dinner and show at the Can Can in Seattle. Very impressive talent! (And excellent drinks as well!) ;)

Sam spoiled the kids rotten while I was gone with McDonald's for dinner, ice cream for dessert, donuts for breakfast, and buying them each a new puzzle, just to mention a few things. :) But that's okay because it made for an enjoyable weekend for us all!

Mt. Rainier

What's summer without a trip to the mountains? We took our girls (and nieces Juliana and Mikayla) on 3 separate hikes around Mt. Rainier. They were excellent hikers and we had wonderful weather. There was not a cloud in the sky, the temperature was in the 80's, and the company was pretty darn good too! :) We spent the whole day up there hiking around, eating a picnic lunch and evening barbecuing at Lake Tipsoo at the end of the day!

Best Cousins!

This picture cracks me up. Juliana and Mikayla were doing some crazy gangsta' moves and my princess Jocelyn stood perfectly, her hands folded in her lap, and showing her beautiful smile!

A view at lake Tipsoo

Mt. Rainier in all it's glory! Oh yeah, and there is my amazing family also! :)

Juliana and I got in a huge snowball fight. Needless to say, she went home soaked to the bone. And I went home dry. :) She now knows not to mess with me when it comes to snowball fights.

Fortunately for her, even though she got thoroughly beaten at the game, it was still warm enough that the snow felt good. In fact, I secretly wish she would have gotten me a little more to cool me off.

Surprise!

My mom turned 60 this week! What better way to celebrate than to shock the living daylights out of her! :)

We decided to do a surprise party for her last minute. We had about 6 days to plan and execute it. And luckily, we didn't allow anymore time, because it was incredibly hard to keep a secret for the woman I either talk to or physically see EVERY DAY! Not only does she live 4 blocks away, but she also babysits my children quite frequently (don't be jealous!). I didn't actually tell my girls about the party, but they knew what was going on since they overheard phone calls regarding the party. They also came with me as I took party supplies, tables, chairs, food, etc to our hosts, the Kupenoffs.

There were a few times that I was sweating bullets, hoping that the secret wasn't going to be revealed. For instance, the day before the party when the girls went with me to deliver all of the above mentioned to the Kupenoffs house. Luckily, I took them swimming afterwards because that evening my mom came to our house and asked the girls what they did today. I quickly answered for them, "We went to Franklin Pool, huh girls?"

Or the day of the party when my kitchen is torn apart and I have 50 loaded potatoes skins laying out, my oven baking at 450*, and my mom calls asking if she can come over. Her freezer went out and she needed to bring her freezer stuff over to put in ours. There was no way I could lie about what I was cooking for so many people for. So, I quickly offered to come get it myself. As if I was doing nothing else, I had to go unload her entire freezer and hall it back to my house. All to keep her out of my house.

Or the night of the party as the entire group of people are quietly waiting in anticipation her arrival and she calls my cell phone. I had no choice but to ignore it. 5 seconds later, she calls Sam's cell phone!

But, the plan worked. Her and my dad were planning on having dinner with the Kupenoff's. We all stood on top of the balcony looking over. After she entered, Debbie told her that she wanted to show her something upstairs. She glanced upstairs and we all yelled "Surprise!" It worked. From what I hear, she jumped 6 feet. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and was using someone elses and I wasn't totally comfortable with it, so I was focused on getting her reaction. What I ended up getting was a blurry mess. Oh well.

1/2 of the group waiting for her arrival

My mom grabbing Debbie after the shock
Debbie Kupenoff (our hostess with the mostest!) and my mom

The food table

We were also celebrating John and Debbie Kupenoff's birthdays! They share a birthday 2 days after my mom, and they were still willing to host a surprise party! We love them!

It seemed as if the drink area took more room than the food. Interesting how that works out!

The Bartender himself, mingling with the other guests

Mom, Marley, and Jeneane

Yakima Youth Track

Well, if mommy and daddy can run, why can't the kiddos?

The girls participated in track this summer and loved it! They got to do running events: 50 and 100 Meters, with and without hurdles, and field events: Long jump and Softball throw. Both girls have potential when it comes to running. Throwing a ball and jumping however, well that quite frankly, is a whole other story! :)

Losing Teeth

If Blogger was a little more video friendly, I would have posted the video of Genevieve's 6 year old cousin Mikayla pulling out Genevieve's first tooth. It was pretty funny to watch her try to yank it out with floss. She got it out about 90% and then I had to finish it off with a good yank with my fingers.
Needless to say, Jenna's fear of the tooth fairy "bumping her pillow and waking her up" was put to rest when she came during the night as quietly as can be, taking the little stub of a tooth and leaving behind a dollar bill and 2 shiny quarters.

And kuddos to Mikayla because Genevieve only wants her to pull out the rest of her teeth!

Half Marathon?

Who would have thought that my husband or I would ever be prepared to run a half marathon? Not us! But we have been disciplining ourselves with training in preparation for a FULL marathon in October (something we are not nearly ready for!) So when we heard there was going to be a 1st annual half marathon in our home town, we decided to go for it! It actually worked out to our advantage because our marathon training has us scheduled to run a 12 mile run that day, so this was only adding another 1.1 miles. What's 1.1 miles right? Ha! After 12 miles, 1.1 is A LOT!!!

Here are Sam and I "pre-race" time.

The Yakima Half Marathon was a Beast of a race! It was known as "Hot and Hilly" which is the only way to sum it up! Unfortunately, it had a late morning start which only added to the heat problem. And it didn't help that it happened to be the hottest day of the entire summer! There was extreme elevation gain in the first 5 miles, leaving us runners exhausted with 3/4 of the race still to go! And the course follows a very open, tree-less area giving us ZERO shade! It was brutal! And then, a big error on the race set-up, was that there were very few water/aid stations! Fortunately, Sam and I wore our hydration belts. I don't know what I would have done without it!

My goal for a half marathon was 2:15. That was a goal for a "normal" half marathon. From what I am told, this was no "normal" half marathon. So I was beyond pleased with my 2:24 race finish! Actually, I am just pleased that I finished!

A friend of mine ran it and compared it to the Portland Full Marathon. She thinks that the full marathon (which she ran last year) may have been easier than Yakima's 1/2 marathon. I found that very interesting!

Overall, it was a great day! And I get to finish it up today with a 90 minute massage!

Sam also had a good race. He is a bit more hard-core than myself when it comes to running. His goal was to break 2 hours. He came extremely close with a time of 2 hours 1 minute!

Now we get to rest for a day or 2 and then it is back to training for the Marathon!

Ugh! I don't want to think about it!

Happy 4th Birthday Jocelyn!

My second daughter, Jocelyn Hope celebrated her 4th Birthday on July 19th! Here she is as a sweet little newborn:

Her older sister took a liking to her right away! This picture makes me laugh because Genevieve doesn't even look old enough to have a baby sister! Boy did I have my hands full!
Look at the sweet angel she is growing up to be!

We celebrated an early birthday with family and friends. We enjoyed a rainbow cake, home-made cake-pops, and ice cream. We were all on a sugar high! On the day of her birthday, we had a birthday dinner with our immediate family. Jocelyn's dinner request: Hot dogs without a bun, chips, and fruit. So...that's what we had! :)

Jocelyn has become a fearless, fun-loving little girl.

We love you Jocelyn!