Race again

Sometime last year I entered a race.  Actrually two but I only ran in one.  This year I have signed up for 2 more.  Each of them are 5K and I am thinking about entering the 1/2 marathon, is that crazy?  I think it is.  Time will tell. 

My race was on the 23rd of April which seemed fine untiil I realized the girls all had their first soccer game that day too.  Game one at 9am, game two at 9:30, and game three at 2.  My race started at 9am in Alpine, but I had to be there early to get my runners packet and check in.  That would mean I would miss the first 2 games and Robert would be hopping from one to another. 

I was getting a little worried about my training since I hadn't really for awhile.  My parents were here, I didn't run at all that week.  We had spring break and sick kids, I didn't really run that week.  I figured I would just get in some good long runs and some fast interval workout before my run on Saturday. 

Then on Sunday of race week I had a terrible headache.  (It never went away until Friday.)  Monday morning I had a scratchy throat, and by the middle of the day, I had called Robert to tell him to pick up something for dinner since I didn't really feel good.  My throat on one side felt like it was on fire.  My head still hurt and I just wanted to go to bed.  Tuesday morning I slept in while Robert got the early kids off to school.  I had to get up around 8 to make sure Em was getting ready for school and then I would have to take her to school.  Once I got out of bed, I was in such pain, my body hurt all over, my throat was in a firery furnace, my ears felt as if they would explode, my head was pounding.  Several times contempleted ways to end the pain, but I knew that wasn't the answer. 

Robert had asked me that morning if I needed him to stay home.  I don't think I have ever had him stay home, even after we have a baby, he takes a day or two off, and then goes back to work.  I guess he figures that is time enough right.  (smiles)  I felt so horrible, and I hated to call and ask, but I did, I called and asked if he could come home.  I called and got a doctors appointment.  Confirmed strep, I pretty much slept most the day after 3pm, except when I was in that 1 hr window of not being able to take more pain meds yet not getting relief. 

Wednesday I told Robert he could go back to work, I knew I was on the mend.  I hadn't eaten much at all, I did manage to eat a popscicle, but the sugar in it left undesirable phlem in my thoat.  I figured I was dehydrated too, possible cause of headache, and it hurt SO SO bad to drink anything. 

By Friday I could drink continuously without having to stop after ever swallow.  It didn't hurt much to even swallow my own saliva compared to before.  I even ate part of dinner.  Things were looking up. 

I had been dizzy and light headed the whole week.  Grandma said it was due to the antibiotics.  She may be right, I still get a little dizzy now, but not as bad, and I am still on the meds.  I was contemplating the whole week how I was going to run this race on Saturday.  How can I run if I am dizzy?  How can I run if I haven't eaten at all?  How am I going to run when my throat hurts so bad?

I talked to Robert about it on Friday night.  I had decided it was a bummer but I wasn't going to be able to do it.  I hadn't trained the last 3 weeks, I was sick, we had crazy soccer schedules... it just wasn't going to work out.  End of discussion, I wasted my money, I didn't get to race. 

Amber woke up early Saturday morning.  I started to think about the race again.  I could walk if my throat was hurting.  If I was dizzy, I could always just walk too.  I already paid for it, even if I walk it, I should just go.  I set my alarm and went back to bed, or tried to.  I was then too excited to sleep and was thinking about the race. 

My alarm went off, I woke up Robert to check to see if he was okay if I really did go to my race.  He said he would arrange all the soccer stuff and I could go.  I got up, had a yogurt for breakfast, took some motrin and grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the race. 

The race was in Alpine.  It was FREEZING!  I met some new friends there, which was good, since I was afraid I would be all alone running by myself.  I did run pretty much by myself but I had some friends to talk to before the race started while we froze! 

My time was not impressive.  I was very dissapointed in it.  (5K in 35 minutes, average of 11min miles.)  But since I was sick, and since I hadn't ran the last 3 weeks I try to not be so upset about it.  The race itself was alot of fun.  I had a good time.  I am thinking about signing up for their half marathon which will be in Oct I think in Park City.  Time will tell.  I need to get running more. 

Saturday I had one hip that was really sore.  By Sunday, I was moving so slow and didn't want to bend over and pick up anything.  At church I asked Robert to hand me my bag.  My hips hurt, my ankles, my shins...  I felt like I walked like an old arthritic person. 

The race I did was the Pink Series, for breast cancer.  It is an all women race, and they had I think 6 firemen in their firesuits on the bottom and a white shirt and pink tie on, with their hats.  I tried to put my picture on here of it but it says the server refused it.  Go figure!

My next race is the Dirty Dash, on June 3rd, and I have a race entry already paid that no one is using.  Anyone interested?  It's a 5K at Soldier Hollow with obsticles to run through as well.  Sounds like fun.  Check out their website. 

Spring Break week

After my parents left, we still had a few more kids take turns throwing up.  Amber went for her second round of getting sick.  She was so funny (if you can see any humor in the stomach flu).  She was asleep on the couch and threw up almost on Lauren't head.  Amber was pretty much still asleep.  I was trying to get her to sit up and go to the bathroom.  She wouldn't do it.  I tried getting her clothes off her, and she was mad at me.  I told her she threw up all over, she didn't even beleive that.  Finally she woke up enough to realize it all. 

That was kind of our spring break.  We had sick kids.  We thought we were going to the zoo on Friday and I think that is when Amber threw up, early that morning.  We didn't do anything at all.  Well I take that back,

we went to McDonald's courtsey of my parents McD's Dollars they left for us,

and we got ice cream type treats and played on the play area. 

Also soccer started for the girls, so we had 2 soccer practices.  Samantha and Amber had fun playing at the playground while we waited for the practice to be over. 

The area that Emily practices at has a few little bridges.  The girls all took turns playing "3 Billy Goats Gruff" and they "trip-trotted" across the troll bridge to try and get past the troll.  I wish I would have gotten pictures or even video of them.  I will have to remember that when we go back for another practice for Emily this week. 

It is always hard for me to get back into the swing of things, back into our normal schedule of school.  Being off for the week was nice but I didn't feel like we did much while the kids were out of school.  Maybe if the kids were healthier.  I suppose summer will be here before I know it.

*Note: For some reason I couldn't get my pictures to download.  (Frustrating!)

Visitors!

My wonderful parents came to visit us for their spring break.  Unfortunately our spring break was a week after their spring break.  We were so happy to have them come and spend their week with us. 

After the week was over, I realized I didn't get one picture of anything.  Seems like I do that too often!  Makes me sad I didn't capture the moments and memories of it all. 

My parents spoil us when they come.  Just to name a few....  grocies they wouldn't let me pay for, dinners they paid for even after I told the cashier my dad's card he had wasn't his and was stolen, toys, treats, and shoes for the girls.  They also bought me some new glasses.  We had like 3 glasses since we have broken most of them over the last 12 years of our marriage.  We have a ton of plastic cups for the kids but for adult size cups we were lacking.  It was one my list to get, but we just hadn't made that purchase.  My dad came home from the store one day with a box of glasses.  SPOILED!

While my parents were here I also was able to go on a field trip with my 3rd graders.  They went to a museum.  I even got to ride on the bus.  I wasn't sure that was a good idea, I got a little sick and thought I might need the garbage can.  Luckily some kids couldn't get their window put all the way up so I had a bit of air blowing on me.  I got to sit by Lindsey and one of her friends on the bus and then I got to be part of a group with Lindsey too.  Lauren could have been in my group but she wanted to stay in her friends group.  Funny because it was Lauren that wanted me to come so bad. 

I was amazed at how many parent helpers they had and several dads too.  I know my girls would be overjoyed to have their dad come to something like that. 

Several of my girls got sick with the stomache flu while my parents were here.  My dad got sick while he was here too, but I think perhaps it was just allergies.  He was sick last time he was here too and went home and got into the doctor to find it was all allergies.  Poor Dad!! 

My mom even did music in the Primary for me while she was here.  She is so great at music.  Music was something we always had growing up.  She had us singing and performing at young ages.  Some of us did more than others.  Perhaps it was because of our talents or in my case the fear of being in the spot light that shaped our performances too.  She did a fantastic last minute job at music.  (Our wonderful music ladies left to have babies.) 

It was sad to see my parents leave.  I know the time comes, and you gotta get back to work and life.  It always seems like the time goes too fast though!  I cried when they left.  Lauren was sick that day, I thought it would of been nice to go out to lunch with them, but couldn't with poor Lauren.  That's okay, like my parents would really let ME take them to lunch and pay.  They would have ended up paying. 

My girls love their grandparents so much.  They were so excited about them coming.  They talk about gong to their house next.  I wish it wasn't so far between their house and my house.  They are planning on serving a mission this fall.  That will be so fun for them.  They are setting such a great example for my children of what's important.  It's hard being so far away, it doesn't take much for me to want to go for a visit.  I have told Robert before, "they are burning that pile of brush and roasting hot dogs, can I go home for that?"  I often get to go home for weddings and big family gatherings but not every little thing. 

My visitors are gone now.  They have been gone for awhile now.  I think it is time for them to return.  My house seems so quiet and so lonely.  Seems not right.  I wonder if they can come back now? 

Room Re-Do

I remember when I had just Emily and I learned of a friend who had twins and they were like 3 and still in cribs I thought that was just too much!  Seriously, a 3 yr old still in a crib?  Emily started crawling out of her crib aound 15-18 months.  By the time she was 2 she was in the bottom part of a bunk bed as we prepared for twins in a couple more months. 

Later, I felt so bad for thinking that.  It is so true that you don't really know until you are there, right?

My twins young life was a blur so I can't even remember when we pulled them out of cribs.  There is a little over 4 years from the twins and then our next baby.  With Emily we needed the crib for the twins, and she was climbing and falling out anyways. 

I had two cribs so I didn't feel like we had to take Amber out before Samantha came.  Amber was just about 19 months when we had our next baby.  I couldn't stand the thought of having a nap time for the 19 month old and have her be able to get out of her bed.  I kept the crib and set up another one for the baby.

Next thing I know, I am that mom with the baby (who isn't really a baby) in the crib.  I think Amber was surely older than 3 when we finally took one side of the crib off so she can get in and out by herself.  I was tired of her saying, "Mom, can you get me out of my crib?" 

 We had a daybed that we got from our neighbor when her girl out grew it or upsized.  It is white, had a few scratches in it.  I decided to paint it and have it be a Christmas present for Amber so she could be in a big girl bed.  Maybe she would stop making her way to my room at night. 

I never finished it in time for Christmas, then I kind of forgot about it.  I finally finished it maybe in Feburary and I took down a crib. 

 Some of the balls where missing too so I just got some from the craft store and painted them adn got some hardware to put them back together.  Pretty cheap re-do if you ask me.  I wasn't super thrilled with the out come, there are lots of places I didn't get a good paint cover.  But, for now, it will be just fine. 

And I have one crib left.  I am in no rush... she is turning 3 soon and is potty trained.  That is my only dilema, having to get her out of bed to take her potty.  Yeah, now I am that mom I couldn't believe would have her 3 year old in a crib!  Samantha did ask for her side off one night, but  the next night she wanted it back on.  Funny girl!

Amber tried out her new bed after I set it all up.  When I went to see what she was doing, she was asleep already.  Guess she likes it, or she did.  She still would prefer to sleep in my room. 

(My girls loved the transformation of the bed too.  In fact, my twins were jealous that they didn't get the bed.)

All about Emily

Emily turned 11 not too long ago.  She had a birthday party, which involved I think 4 friends sleeping over, they were up late or should I say early in the morning, but they are all such great girls. 

For her birthday I decided I was going to make a bunch of mail for her.  Everyone likes mail right.  Well I did about somewhere around 25-30 letters for her.  Somewhere from Samantha and Amber with pictures on them.  Some just said, "You are AWESOME" and some where long letters from Father Time, Mother Nature, and some other people.  Lauren did one from her "secret admirer" she was thrilled when I asked her to get the mail and then she saw what it was.  She was saying, "Oh I got a letter, I got another one, and another....."  She was cracking me up!

She had two friends here already and Lindsey and Laruen (and one of their friends) were eager to see and hear all about it too.  Emily read through almost all of them except a few that were really long. 

Emily got her hair cut.  She was telling me before that she was going to cut her hair when she was like 12 or in 7th grade or something.  I can't remember exactly what she had said.  It suprised me then when she asked for her hair cut.  She told me she wanted it to about her elbows she thought.  I cautioned her on it, I can take it off but I can't put it back on.  Obviously it will grow back but I just didn't want her to be mad at me about it if I got it too short.  I ended up taking off about 8-1/2 to 9 inches of the back.  Her hair seems to grow really uneven so it is all evened up again now.  I think she was a little disappointed no one really even noticed that she cut her hair.  You would think with that much getting taken off you would, but her hair is still SO long. 

Emily received for Christmas a book on CD of the Tennis Shoes among the Nephites series.  I think that is what it is called.  The CD was the 11th book.  For her birthday she got the first 5 books, and currently today she is reading the 5th one.  She will be done with it I am sure by the end of the day.  She is such a book worm!  It is good and bad.  She is so consumed with it sometimes, she won't sleep and then we all suffer her rath as she is a angry bear the next day.  It can be pretty bad!

It seems like such a long time ago that we had Emily, and yet in another view it seems like such a short time ago we were calling family saying that our water broke and we were headed to the hospital.  As I was on the phone with the dr. telling them that I thought my water broke, Rob says, "do you think I still have time to take a shower?"  I didn't know.  He did shower and it all seemed okay.  We arrived at the hospital around 6:30am and she was delivered at 9:16am.  Robert was talking to a guy in the hospital elevator when he went to go get breakfast, and the other dad was so excited about them having thier first too.  He asked the guy how long they had been at the hospital, which was sometime the evening before.  Robert didn't want to tell him we got there this morning and he already his baby. 

10 pounds and 1 oz of total girl!  Emily is such a GIRL in everything.  She tries to tell me she isn't, she doesn't really care for pink and she doesn't like real fu-fu-y things, but she is a girl 100%. 

There was no doubt why we got Emily first.  She is such a great help and for the most part (unless she was up reading the night before too late) is such a pleasure to have around.  She loves to organize and design things.  She is so fun to create things with.  She has always been an obedient child.  She loves rules and follows them mostly.  I remember in Kindergarten, she was telling some girl that she should put a shirt under her dress because it was immodest.  She is more cautious now maybe on stating her mind among her peers, but she has no problem telling us how she feels at home.  She will correct the twins on their eating habbits, the way they drink, or even sit on a chair too slouchy.  It is tiring sometimes and causes contention as well. 

Emily is getting old enough that she isn't really requesting any cake.  She requested that it be Lemon flavor and that was it.  One of her friends came and stayed the whole weekend with us.  She arrive before Emily got home from school, and she helped me with the flowers and candles.

She has been excited to start babysitting.  It has been kind of a struggle for us.  Emily is getting old enough that most those we have come babysit are just a few years older than she is.  Robert made a good point about getting babysitters, "we are just hiring her friends to babysit, why not have her do it?"  I still kind of am uneasy about it.  Robert keeps prepping me for it, "soon she will be our babysitter."  It is kind of weird, I don't worry about the neighbor girls knowing what to do in the event of an emergency, but I wonder about Emily.  The only difference would be perhaps the neighbor girl would have her parents at home she could call for help.  I know, not much different.  I did have a nighmare one night that we had Emily babysit and the house caught fire, she didn't know it and she and the twins died.  I remember in my dream crying for my girls, and poor Emily, and how aweful it would have been for her to live through it and possibly feel responsible for it.  In my dream I was thinking perhaps it was best for her to perish.  I woke up crying, trying to grasp the reality of things and if that was a memory or a bad dream. 

Emily is such a great helper to me.  Often she is one I can go to and joke around with, tell her things like I would tell a friend such as experiences through the day or what one of the girls said that was funny.  I try to be careful too because I don't want to influence her of my opinions of things that maybe she should make her own mind up about. 

I have enjoyed all 11 years we have had together, I look forward to some more wonderful years.  I can't believe she is 11 already.  Where did the time go? 

This is Emily at age 2.  The twins were about 3 months old, we were holding onto their clothes to keep them sitting up.

The picture above is how I picture her when I talk to her on the phone.  She still has that little small voice when she is on the phone, or maybe it is just me?