Down Dog

It’s true. Dave convinced me. We joined the Yoga class at our gym. Yep. And I lasted two times. He’s still a faithful Yoga class member. I love Dave. I don’t love Yoga. And here’s my good man. Making me proud. With his great Yoga moves.

It Pays To Not Abuse Your Children...and I Love Being Old!

So, Dave and I participated in a race yesterday against Child Abuse. Whenever I do races, I never pay to enter the race unless it's a worthy cause (I just run it and tell them at the end that I didn't register so I don't mess up the rankings). This race was DEFINITELY for a worthy cause and I was excited to be able to support such an important issue. It made me grateful that Dave and I have discussed this issue at length and came up with alternatives for those times that we feel frustrated with our children (NOT that it EVER happens-but in the event that it ever did...ha,ha) so that we don't turn to violence. Anyways...
The great news is that both Dave and I placed! I placed 3rd overall, but because I'm an oldie, I got first in my division!! I couldn't believe it. (I have to insert here a story about a very cute client with whom I work. For some reason about a month ago we got talking about how I run and that I was going to do this race. Ever since then, every time he saw me he reminded me of how many weeks and days I had until the race. And every time he told me I was going to win. At one point I really tried to explain to him that I'm really not that good, so I probably wouldn't win, but he would not hear of it. I didn't have the heart to tell him I had never actually won a race in my life because he was so sure I was going to win. So, I was so excited to be able to tell him that I did win!) I was also super excited, because I won a $50 gift card to Target. Dave won 3rd in his old men's division and won a $20 gift card to a restaurant. We were super excited about our winnings! Here's a picture of us after our race...

What would you do?

The past 12 months have been filled with A LOT of challenges. So many, that I'm hoping we've had our fill for the next 12 years-it works that way right? In any case, because of all these challenges, it makes Dave and I even MORE excited than ever to start this next phase in our lives of heading off to medical school. It represents a lot to us, a lot of challenges that we have overcome to get to where we are going. We're extremely excited. And here is the first step towards this next phase in our lives...






For those of you who don't know, Dave was sworn into the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. This will enable us to attend and complete medical school debt free. Dave is extremely excited about this as he has always wanted to join the army. And I'm excited because you all know how much I love to save money! But here's the question for you all...Dave has to go to Texas for Officer Training Camp for 45 days (from June to July). It appears that he will have NO day offs. They put him up in a hotel and he gets a generous daily allowance for food. So, the boys and I could go with him. It would be hard to be apart for 45 days. It would also be hard to be stuck in a hotel room by myself with two little boys all day, every day (except for the evenings). So, what would you do?

Brothers Who Puke Together, Stick Together

Don't you hate it when your kids gang up on you? This is how I imagine Izak and Landon's conversation went:

Mission:To remind Mom and Dad who the real bosses are in this house
Izak: Hey Landon, I've been thinking that you and I have been too well behaved lately and mom and dad are beginning to forget who's really in charge. Don't you think so too?
Landon: Uh-huh
Izak: So, I've got a plan to remind them of their place in this family. Want to hear it?
Landon: Uh-huh
Izak: I'm thinking that we should convince mom to let me eat some bright red jello jigglers and then immediately afterwards I'll throw up all over the carpet, that way we'll be sure to stain the carpet so she'll always have a visual reminder of who's in charge. Do you like that idea Landon?
Landon: Uh-huh
Izak: Okay, after that, I'll wait until she cleans it up and then immediatley throw up again on the floor. When she tries to put me to bed, I'll continue to throw up about 5 more times to remind her that I go to bed when I'm good and ready. Then, I'll wait for dad to come home. Cause you know, he's just as much at fault as mom is. I'll let him think he's getting out of it easy, and just as he's peacefully falling asleep, I'll begin throwing up about 10 more times until about 2am. How does that sound Landon?
Landon: Uh-huh
Izak: Okay, listen up Landon because here comes your part. The next afternoon, just when mom and dad are starting to breathe a sigh of relief that I've stopped throwing up, that's where you come into play. You then begin throwing up. Not just anywhere, but in your bed. That way mom and dad have to do more wash-which really cuts them deep since we have no washing machine and dryer. Wait until mom has changed the bedding and then throw up again, to maximize the laundry duty. Then toss in a few more throw ups throughout the rest of the day. Now, I'm counting on you Landon to step up and do your part. Are you up for the task Landon?
Landon: Uh-huh

And this is what Dave and I did to get even with them...










Yep, it's true...Dave and I went to Hawaii. My brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to invite us to go with them and stay in a beach house on the North Shore. We had such a great time. Just a few of the highlights were...going to Pearl Harbor, Sky Diving, Jumping off a 30-feet high rock, going on a "short" hike (and rescuing a pregnant woman!), snorkeling, boogie boarding, going to the Polynesian Culture Center, Sea kayaking, and eating SO MUCH good food!

I'm going to be the best mom a teenage boy could ever have!

So, I've been thinking recently that I'm not too cut out for being a parent of a 3-year-old boy. There are many reasons for this conclusion, but I'll name just a couple that have recently been brought to my attention.

First reason. I am incapable of playing with Izak. I mean really getting down on the floor and playing with him. This is usually how our conversation goes:
Izak: Mommy, will you play with me?
Me: Sure Izak
Izak: Mommy, come sit on the floor with me
Me: Okay
Izak: Mommy, play with me!
Me: Izak, I am playing with you
Izak: No, mommy, I mean play with me!
Me: Izak, I am playing with you (To which I respond by trying to really get into character of whatever superhero Izak has assigned me to be-which means using some really good superhero voices and starting to attack Izak's superhero because I've noticed that boys really like this fighting thing.)
Izak: No mommy, not like that! (Izak goes running out of the room crying)
And that is usually how our "play" sessions end.

Second reason. I am no good at rough housing. I blame my parents for this one. We were never allowed to rough house in our home, so it is completely foreign and akward to me. But every once in a while when I'm trying super hard to engage with Izak, I will give it my best shot. These conversations generally go like this:
Izak: Mommy, you can't get me
Me: Oh, yes I can (to which Izak responds by jumping on my back)
Izak: Mommy, try and get me
Me: Ouch Izak, you're hurting me. Get off Izak, you're hurting me. Izak stop. (Dave then has to interject here and peel Izak off of my back before I start crying.)
Dave: Izak, you have to be careful with mommy so she doesn't get hurt. (Izak goes running out of the room crying)
And this is usually how our "rough housing" sessions end.

Third reason. The other day I was watching my niece and nephew. Yet again I was trying my best to be the cool mom (and aunt) so I thought I'd win them over by building them a fort. (Let me add here in my defense that this is the first time I can remember ever building a fort.) This is how that conversation went:
Me: Guys, do you want me to build you a fort?
Izak and cousins: Yeah!!!!
Me: Okay, give me a few minutes and it'll be done....(30 minutes later)....
Izak: Can I go in?
Me: Not yet, I'm still trying to figure out how to make the fort. Izak you have to get out or you're going to break it down.
Izak: Can I go in yet?
Me: Not yet Izak, it's almost done, just wait a few more minutes. Izak, you have to get out. Izak, you're breaking the fort!(Izak goes running out of the room crying)

Lets just say that Izak is VERY lucky to have such a great dad that knows how to really play with his 3-year-old boy and here's to hoping that I'll be the best mom a teenage boy could ever have...

Here's a picture of Izak with his cousins, Mara and Asher, in the fort I built for them...(this was the second fort that I built since the first one the kids couldn't even sit under because it was so low to the ground)

Another 10 things...but I'll count it as 20 since it's so stinkin' long!

12. When I was a teenager I had a thing for behinds.
14. I once grabbed the lead singer's behind from "Better than Ezra".
16. My sister and I were once mooning drunks at a bar across the parking lot from our hotel room. Long story short, a police officer woke up our coach (we were on a cross country trip) and the coach and police officer came to our room...
18. One time during cross country practice, I was pretending to grab our coach's behind and at that exact moment he turned around. Did I mention he was a preacher? He quit coaching girls the next year.
20. So, since the preacher quit, the next year we had a new cross country coach. By the end of the season he cussed my best friend and I out in front of the whole team and told us we were the "cancer" of our team. He quit coaching girls the next year.
22. I ran cross country for 3 years in high school-I use to have the 3rd fastest time in the school history (3 miles in 20 minutes)-but then my little sister blew my time out of the water!
24. I love sports, basically any kind of sports. Raquetball, volleyball, running, biking, triathlons, waterpolo, swimming, softball, etc. Unfortunately, I have had WAY TOO MANY very embarrassing moments doing sports, though I would consider myself a naturally athletic, coordinated person, but maybe that's just what I like to think...
26. Last year I played on a city league softball team through my work. I was running to first base and somehow got my legs tangled up and full on supermanned (is that a word?) it. I literally did a full on face-plant. I didn't even make it all the way to the base, I just layed there on the ground, laughing hysterically. Luckily, I was close enough to the base that the other team didn't realize that I hadn't actually reached the base.
28. A couple of years ago I was on a volleyball team. I hadn't played volleyball since I was a freshman in high school, which was about 5 years. My team was VERY competitive and serious. It was my turn to serve the ball so I threw the ball up in the air and then hit the ball. I forgot a VERY important part in the act of serving. I forgot to take a STEP when I served. My feet got all tangled up and I biffed it face down on the floor. I wasn't ever invited to play on their team again.
30. While at Ricks I decided to try my luck at waterpolo. You can imagine my surprise when I noticed that a guy that my roommates thought was really cute was on the waterpolo team. We were practicing treading water when this "cute" guy started talking to me. I couldn't wait to get home and tell my roommates that I spent the night talking with the boy they thought was so hot. I was imagining how jealous they would be when all of a sudden I heard everyone yelling. I then realized they were all yelling at me. Needless to say, while I was talking to this guy, the team had formed a circle and had started passing weights around the circle that you had to hold above your head and then pass them on. The person next to me was holding them waiting for me to take them. Completely flustered, I quickly grabbed the weights. (Let me insert here that it is fairly easy to just sit there treading water-it's another thing to hold 30 lb weights above your heard while treading water-you have to have your legs going MUCH faster in order to do this-for which I was NOT prepared) Next thing I knew I was at the bottom (of the deep end!) of the pool and the guy that handed me the weights was taking the weights from me, and the "cute" guy was grabbing me around the waist and pulling me back up to the top.

100 things about me...

Okay, my mind is totally blanking so I'm going to do the good 'ole "100 things about yourself" thing, hope it's not too boring for you all (I'll only do 10 things at a time to spare you a little)...
1. I love food
2. When I was young I was a COMPULSIVE food thief, and I mean compulsive (banned from three stores for it, put on probation twice for it)
3. My second probation officer is what inspired me to look into the field of criminal justice instead of accounting
4. At Ricks, while studying criminal justice, I took a social work class (to fulfill a general requirement) and decided in that very moment that social work was NOT for me
5. I am a social worker
6. When I was growing up, I felt sorry for anyone that had to serve an LDS mission
7. I served an LDS mission in Brazil
8. While serving a mission in Brazil, I had lice for the first 7 months-(I'm an expert at recognizing lice or eggs if you need any help!)
9. I met Dave in Brazil
10.We have two children and they are THE cutest children ever...see for yourselves...


Izak reading to Landon


Our cute 3-year-old Izak


Our happy little baby-Landon 5 months