The Norris Family

Sledding

2012-02-04T21:27:00.003-07:00

We just had an impressive snow storm this weekend, and now have over a foot of snow to enjoy.

It's a marshmallow world outside.

For those of you who have been to our home before, you'll know that there's a huge hillside just a few footsteps out our back door. It's pretty, and we generally enjoy it from a distance in the summer. But in the winter when a good snow comes, you can't hold us back...it's the best sledding hill around!

Uncle Jeff, Cade, and Paige joined us for the fun this afternoon.

The bright winter sun was so beautiful against the new snow...doesn't it look a little like rainbow sprinkles were tossed everywhere?

Beautiful day. Perfect moment.

(Except perhaps for my sexy hillbilly smile...ahhh, yes.)

New Year

2012-02-01T02:39:00.000-07:00

Last day of January 2012...and I'm still thinking about 2011!

I am a notoriously bad blogger during the holidays. So much happened during November and December that I'm still reflecting on! A lot happened then, and a lot happened during the months before.

2011 was eventful. And busy. And happy, tough, fun, stressful, successful...a memorable year for each of us:

January 2011

Russell had his first hair cut.

We partied at a Luau with Haselden NREL RSF site (National Renewable Energy Lab Research Support Facility) employees.

Taylor made his mom a little crazy...through his busy creativity.

We bundled-up and played outdoors a lot.

February

We bundled-up and played some more. Again, Taylor made sure his mom didn't relax too much (notice, those aren't skin-colored boots on my little boy's feet!).

Haselden sent Andrew and me to Las Vegas for a long weekend!

ADrew and I went SKYDIVING.

Andrew took an advanced cooking class with the Haselden NREL RSF II team.

I celebrated #27.

March

We enjoyed fun park play with "GG" and "GP" (my grandparents).

I put my VitaMix to good use and made homemade baby food for the first time.

Taylor wrote recognizable text for the first time!

We had some top-notch Family Home Evenings.

We celebrated St. Patty's Day in style.

We celebrated 5 years of marriage.

Taylor continued to keep me on my toes (in case you wondered, that's what instant yeast + fruit punch mixed in the carpet looks like!).

April

I began training for the Bolder Boulder 10K. Taylor and Russell usually got to join my adventures via a jogging stroller. (Poor guys.)

I attempted to potty train Taylor. Six letters: S.T.R.E.S.S.

Went to Utah for Easter. My Larz, my parents, and I to attended the Provo Temple together to perform sealings for our ancestors.

Taylor found his little voice. SO cute.

Andrew's sister Christy graduated from BYU! I got to attend her commencement while in Utah.

May

Larz and Christy and her roomies from BYU stayed with us for a week. We had a BLAST running the Bolder Boulder together!

Russell, Andrew, and Taylor celebrated their birthdays.

Taylor made creative mischief again...by putting all of his bedroom's toys & accessories in his brother's crib...WHILE HIS BROTHER WAS STILL INSIDE.

June

We took a trip with our talented friend Amber Allen to the Colorado Railway Museum to take our birthday boys' pictures.

Our dear friends the Harrows moved. :(

We took a two-week trip to Alabama.

We had belated birthday celebrations with Norris cousins.

We soaked-in some Florida sun.

We attended Rachel and Drew's picture-perfect wedding.

Taylor got courageous and "potty peed" for the first time...in his grandparents' urinal. :)

I began my first of six weeks teaching Colorado kiddos how to swim.

July

We ran a family 5K in Highlands Ranch for the 4th.

We went to the zoo!

Our poor little guys were diagnosed with Asthma.

LOTS of family came to Denver for a visit.

My sweet high school friend, Jenny, came for a visit.

August

We went camping in the Rockies.

My lost iPad was miraculously returned.

Baby Russell started walking!

We vacationed in beautiful Telluride with my family.

We played, played, played--as much as we could--at the park.

September

Our friend Chad gave us an up-close look at Army helicopters in Colorado Springs.

Taylor and I succeeded in potty training!!

We celebrated potty training success at the "inside pool."

We hiked in the foothills on Labor Day.

I finished tough correspondence coursework and renewed my K-8 teaching credentials!

We had a campfire dinner with friends.

I completed my second triathlon!

We enjoyed peach season immensely. Made Fresh Peach Pie probably 1/2 dozen times.

Taylor's play group with friends resumed (after a summer break).

October

We inherited Grandmother Hickman's super awesome play tepee.

I completed a 10 mile trail run. My first attempt at both!

My mom came to visit again. We went to the pumpkin patch.

We trick-or-treated with our little dragon and cowboy.

November

I ran my first half marathon! Big milestone for me.

Had my first two formal family photo shoots. Loved doing this. I am an amateur, so it was really nice to have some practice! (anyone else interested in being my guinea pigs in the future?)

We spent Thanksgiving with my family in Utah.

We got to meet Devin's cute, sweet girlfriend Lisa.

December

We went to see "Disney On Ice" as a family.

Larz played with us for a week-- introducing us to gourmet Danish pasteries (he served his mission in Denmark), going sledding with us, and making his specialty gourmet hot cocoa--every night that he was here! Man I love that guy.

We went to Alabama for Christmas. The kids played at Grandmother's annual Christmas party.

Russell, Taylor, and their cousins were part of a live Nativity on Christmas Eve. Taylor was a wise man; Russell was a (crying) shepherd. :)

Andrew's family joined forces and talents and together, we took our own family photos on Christmas Eve. Love how they turned out.

We went to visit Santa at our ward's Christmas party. Taylor wanted a jet (notice the face painting).

Christmas Day...jet received. I love that priceless look on his face.

Huge highlight of Christmas Day: we got to talk to my parents and ALL my brothers on Skype. It was so great to see missionary Kyle!

My First Time...

2011-11-13T21:33:00.001-07:00

It's been an eventful past couple of days! It's nice to now have a minute to sit and breathe. :)

My computer's speed and Photoshop haven't been cooperating well for me, so I'm not quite ready with posts of this weekend's happenings.

But here's a taste of what's to come:

I am thankful for a loving, thoughtful, and supportive family,

good friends,

and the stunning, perfect beauty of the great outdoors.

Girly Graditude

2011-11-10T19:00:00.001-07:00

A girl's gotta have her make up.

I look and feel a zillion times more presentable when I have my face on. If there's one item in my little bag that I just couldn't live without, it's

mascara...

..something I am very thankful for. Makes my light lashes go from drab to fab in no time flat!

Kiddie Gaga

2011-11-09T21:15:00.004-07:00

I am a mother of routine.

My kids have a morning routine, nap routine, bed time routine. That's me. I feel happier with things that way (and I think my kids do too).

Now a slightly embarassing confession here...until recently, a large part part of our routine has been that Taylor gets to watch TV while I shower and get ready each morning (Russell just follows me into the bathroom and gets into every drawer that he can). Not my intention of course, but I often end up taking longer in the shower than I should, and then Taylor ends up sitting in front of the TV much longer than he should.

The result: from the moment the day begins, I have cursed my preshooler into becoming a truly difficult child for the rest of the day (this is the part where I scream! Do anyone else's kids get rude after they watch TV?)!

Well, with poor Taylor as our guinea pig first child, Andrew and I have learned a lesson in parenting and have revised TV watching in the Norris household. At first, it took a little creativity for me to omit TV for high-maintenance Taylor and still get ready for the day, but I'm glad we made the changes that we did. It's been really worth it.

Since making changes, one thing that has replaced TV a lot in our house is music.

Both of my boys love to listen to music and LOVE to dance. At least once every day, they ask me to blast some peppy pop song though our living room speakers and push the furniture aside so they can move their little bodies around. (And I have to add that yes, they ask. Little 17 month-old Russell has invented a sign for "song" or "music" that looks like he's raising the roof. Pretty cute!).

I love watching them enjoy each other, the music, and the dancing.

I am thankful for dance and music.

Medicine

2011-11-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for vaccines, modern medicine and a gas heated home.

I don't know how my ancestors survived without... I guess its no wonder that the pioneers got so sick all the time!

Health

2011-11-07T22:47:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned that I'm going to run my first half marathon on Saturday?

On trails. Through scrub oak, viewing panoramic scenes of downtown Denver and DTC, hopefully past wildlife.

I wanted to seize this moment in my life, when I am in the best running shape I've ever been in, loving feeling fit and competing in races, having now proven to myself that I can run 10 miles on trails and love it. I figured, "what's 3 more?"

I am looking forward to this adventurous new race experience.

I'm also nervous. I've never run that far before! I've also been teeter tottering through feeling sick and healthy, healthy and sick, over these last three vital weeks of training. Talk about a pain--literally.

As most of us are, I am no stranger to pain and illness. Whether it be moderate or extreme, each time I feel a little helpless because my body isn't cooperating the way I want it to,

my graditude for good health when it's around increases.

I am so thankful to have a healthy body that I can depend on most of the time to do what I need and want it to do.

I am blessed.

(On a side note, I am also very thankful for the flu shot that I received today! Hopefully it'll put an end to the sickness see saw thing).

Missionaries

2011-11-06T23:53:00.001-07:00

Today was fast Sunday.

In my church, this is a time when our members give-up at least two of the day's meals to fast for a personal purpose and and to donate the equivalent cost of those sacrificed meals to the Church to assist those in need. Our Sacrament Meeting worship on that day is called fast and testimony meeting--a time given to those in attendance for the expression of their testimonies.

It's my favorite Sunday of the month.

Today's fast and testimony meeting was especially great. I identified with so many members' testimonies--one which came from a missionary from Idaho who is currently serving in our ward. I was so impressed with his spiritual strength and sacrifice, his obvious love of the work, and his positive attitude.

Cousin Chase Harrison & Kyle

Elder Weeks's example today made me think of my brother Kyle who is currently serving a mission for our church in Brazil. It made me think of my husband who served a mission before we were married. It made me think of my brother Larz, Andrew's siblings, and countless others close to me who have given two years of their lives to serve the Lord.

I am thankful for missionaries.

Larz as a missionary in Denmark; Kyle, who's currently in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Andrew, who served here in Denver.

These guys sacrifice so much to serve: their education, career, finances, close contact with friends and family, etc. They leave home to serve for two years and they don't go home on the weekends. They are given the opportunity write letters to loved ones once each week and to call home twice a year--on Mother's Day and Christmas. It's a hard work that they do. (Every returned missionary I've ever met has told me that it's worth it.)

Later today as I made final preparations to mail a Christmas package to Kyle, I found such joy in sending just a little to my brother who is giving so much more.

These missionaries are my heroes.

Halloween

2011-11-06T01:05:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I feel a little mourning for the absence of witches, jack-o-lanterns, and black and orange in my home. This year's Halloween season was a fun one.

We sure played the part:

We ate lots of them.

Homemade applesauce, apple cider, apple doughnuts, CANDY, yummy baked goods from friends...

My favorite memory: Taylor not being able to keep his little sugar-magnet eyes and fingers off of some adorable festive cupcakes made by our new friend, Jamie. (Can you guess which one he chose to eat?)

I got to host Taylor's playgroup during the week of Halloween.

We learned about skeletons.

We got to play with Taylor's new flexible skeleton toys, made bone formations out of noodles, played Halloween games, and read a family favorite Halloween story, Once-A-Year-Witch, which my grandma read that to my dad as a boy, then later to me. It was fun to introduce to Taylor this year, who now loves it too.

A few days before Halloween, our ward hosted a Trunk-Or-Treating party and chili/ pie cook-off.

It was there that we unveiled this year's costumes:

Taylor, the cowboy (my dad's costume that he wore when he was Taylor's size!) and Russell, the dragon. Oh yeah, yeah...and Tiff the pirate. Sorta. :)

The boys loved trunk-or-treating, and we all managed to sqeeze into the church to warm-up and enjoy some yummy chili too. It was so crowded in there...possibly the most well-attended church activity I've ever been to!

Andrew and Taylor carved the pumpkins that we had bought at the pumpkin patch the week before and created the scary Jack-O-Lanterns you see above. Andrew encouraged Taylor to reach into the pumpkin and pull out the "guts" inside. And Taylor thought it was cool...for a little while at least.

The kids were cute for Trick-Or-Treating while they lasted.

Little Russell was hyper-stimulated and loved living it up in his costume with all the kids and candy around.

But poor Taylor--after just under an hour, his energy left and some tears came. He cuddled-up to his green monster bag like a blanket and told us some of the most shocking words that have ever come out of his little boy mouth: that he wanted to go home and sleep...for a long, long time.

Poor sick boy. Talk about bad timing.

On a happier note, the next morning he was mostly back to himself. Naturally, he was totally in the mood to eat lots of Halloween candy and help Mommy take down Halloween/ decorate the house for Thanksgiving.

Love it. I wish I could rebound like that. :)

Thanksgiving

2011-11-06T01:26:00.001-06:00

Lately when I get on Facebook, I've noticed a handful of my friends have chosen to celebrate this year's Thanksgiving by updating their statuses with expressions of graditude.

What a great idea. I'm sure this year's holiday will have deeper meaning for them because of it.

I'm five days behind, but I'd like to follow their example and take a little time to express thanksgiving for blessings in my life each day this November. Lofty goal for me, posting each day...

First up. I could easily express my graditude for this every day:

My husband Andrew.

Isn't he so manly and handsome?

I am SO thankful for him. I have said that before, and I mean it--completely--each time I do.

Yesterday when on the verge of total malfunction from dealing with an incredibly stubborn, disobedient Taylor, I called Andrew and told him that I may have to kill myself or our 3 year-old before I went completely insane.

I knew that Andrew was listening when I said that, but I had no idea how much.

When he came home from a long day at work, rather than taking much-needed time for himself, he instead made my dreams come true: First, he played with our kids and let me have some "me" time. He also fed our [cranky] kids, tidied house, then while I put our boys to bed, Hubby dressed-up super hunk-a-liciously and staged our family room for the perfect date night:

Then he drove away...to return home shortly after with a Redbox movie and this:

Mr. Sushi??

Ooohhh, Heaven.

Friday night was one of the best date nights we've had in a long time. It felt so nice to talk with my best friend...in our warm, quiet, candle-lit home, over a delicious meal...it felt so nice to be cuddled-up to a movie and think about nothing but Andrew (and "Thor") for a while. By the end of the night, I felt completely recharged.

I am madly in-love with that man!

He has a magic about him that uplifts and calms me, calms our children, and brings back a feeling of simplicity to life. He is my miracle.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself that he married me.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-02T20:44:00.000-06:00

Our trip to the pumpkin patch at the Denver Botanical Gardens @ Chatfield this year was for me, simply perfect and absolutely fun. Perfectly warm Fall day. Perfectly festively-dressed little boys. A fun barrell train ride for Taylor. And bonus! Mom was with us this time.

I love how the cheery Fall colors come through in pictures of the Gardens at this time of year. I couldn't keep my finger off the shutter! If you'd like to view or download the high res photos of our trip to the pumpkin patch, click HERE.

Football

2011-10-12T08:47:00.001-06:00

Andrew came home from work last week with this Broncos football.

It now sits on Taylor's dresser (that is, when he's not playing with it!).

While he was playing Bronco ball one afternoon, I asked Taylor if he knew about the "horse" on it.

"He's a mean horse," he said.

"Oh yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah. The MEANEST horse in Africa!!"

Ha ha. Where does he get this stuff??

Wildcat Mountain 10 Mile Trail Run

2011-10-11T15:15:00.001-06:00

Another race completed! This stuff is so much fun. I think I'm hooked!

Donna and her outgoing friend Cindy joined me for this one. If they could've seen the weather coming for our big day, I'm not sure that they would have...

...because it was the coldest day of the year so far. By far. Instead of checking out the race venue before we ran, we huddled in the car to keep warm.

The trail looked so wet and gloomy; we even talked to race officials and nearly switched to racing the 5 mile race instead. But right at the bitter end, with only 20 seconds remaining until the 10 miler began, we changed our minds and went for it.

I'm so glad we did.

We got to run on snow-covered dirt trail under foot, through foothills filled with scrub oak and light snow falling overhead. The falling snow created an illusion of mist and fog all around, and a calm stillness that seemed to stop time. Other runners were always near, but I felt alone and at peace.

It was beautiful.

Perfect.

Just under two hours later, I turned the last corner before the finish line to see...

...something I couldn't stop smiling for!

These guys!

With big grins on their faces, cheering "Go Mommy!" and the most handsome man I've ever seen (their dad), standing beside them taking pictures.

Ahhh. They are what I live and die for!

Cindy and I then waited for our comrade to cross the finish line, where Andrew was again prepared to capture the moment. Way to go, Donna!

Finally stopped--the realization that our hands and faces were beginning to freeze, that our feet were sopping wet from running in mud and snow for hours, and that our bodies were exhausted--sank in. It gave a feeling of relief to be finished, but mostly a sense of friendship, fun, and accomplishment.

I would do this again...

...in a heartbeat.

(snow and all). :)

I think I want to try my hand at my first 1/2 marathon now. Anyone want in?

Telluride Part 3: The Gondola

2011-10-06T16:07:00.000-06:00

View of Mountain Village from the Gondola

Exploring and playing together in Mountain Village

It was a lot of fun. And such a BEAUTIFUL place!

Wow, getting these photos out again makes me nostalgic. Wish I was there.

Glimpses

2011-10-04T22:38:00.002-06:00

It's been a little under a week since I've been here, but I feel fairly exhausted...more than just six days' worth.

Here are some glimpses of my recent past:

To celebrate our little Taylor's accomplishment in becoming a "big boy," we offered to either buy him a new special toy or take him on a family outing of his choice.

On Thursday, we made this 3 year-old's dream of a perfect evening come true:

We ate Ramen Noodles and chocolate milk for dinner.

We went to the "inside pool."

It was such a fun evening for all of us.

But Big Boy was especially impressed--who since, hasn't failed to say a meal time or bed time prayer without remembering to thank his Heavenly Father for his "getting to go to the inside pool."

What a sweet heart.

I'm only four days away from running my 10 mile trail race. To prepare, I've been running nearly everyday, almost everywhere (it seems).

My personal record breaking distance run on Friday took me nearly two hours, going 8.36 miles through neighborhoods and past parks--driving my little guys crazy with cabin fever and completely wearing them out. I felt so cruel running past so many parks and not stopping to let them play at any of them!

So as soon as we got home, we got right back into the car and drove to one of the coveted parks to play.

If any kids deserved park play that day, mine did.

Aunt Donna, her friend Cindy and I drove to Highlands Ranch on Saturday morning and tested a portion of the 10 mile trail we'll race on this weekend.

It. was. BRUTAL.

I was under the impression that "10 mile trail run" meant something like, "10 miles on a joint-supporting, flat, dirt surface." Oh, boy, was I ever wrong!

For those who wonder the truth:

When you read "10 mile trail run" on a race website, what it actually means is that you run several miles UP UP UP a steep-grade hiking trail, and then DOWN DOWN DOWN another steep-grade trail for several more miles.

Put simply, the downhill part is really nice. But the uphill, well...

Later that same Saturday, I began watching one of my favorite church traditions on TV:

(Click above to hear Pres. Monson's Sunday morning talk)

General Conference.

It happens twice a year--when our church leaders share spiritual messages in five 2-hour sessions over a Saturday/Sunday weekend.

It's tough to choose my favorite talk from this recent conference...perhaps Elder Uchdorf's "Forget Me Not" talk, Elder Bednar's talk on the Spirit of Elijah, Sister Dalton's talk about raising daughters...

But I can say this for certain:

More than anyone at conference time, I look forward to hearing from our sweet prophet, President Monson. He is such a good, kind, charitable, happy, positive, genuine person. He radiates love. Every time I hear him speak, I learn so much and wish even more that I could be just like him.

To me, there is no question that he is God's prophet.

I love that man.

My little boy was another one of my teachers this week.

He and I shared one of my favorite moments when together, we took some time to just be still...

He led the way as we walked together and absorbed the perfect evening sunshine.

Holding hands.

Making "discoveries."

Picking flowers and making wishes.

And I remembered why I, amidst all the chaos-- the meals, laundry, cleaning, diapers, stressful disciplining...

...am more blessed than I know.

I love my family.

Taylor Is Trained & Russell Is Walking!

2011-09-28T22:11:00.000-06:00

Let me begin by thanking everyone for the advice--I couldn't have made it through these six days of torture without you. Some suggestions in particular helped my fiercely independent, morning-potty-king figure it out:

1. Put Taylor in underwear at night.

2. Give Taylor the control. He should decide when he goes potty.

3. Gradually work him into wearing pants. Bare bottom, underwear, fully clothed, in that order.

4. Give him something to do, like read books (or play iPhone apps!) while he tries to poop.

5. Insist on him cleaning up when he has accidents.

Taylor and I clashed many times during this potty training experience because he really needs to make his own choices, and I always fought to be in control. (My dad once joked with me that if it were okay to parent like Satan, I probably would. Sadly there's truth to that. :) )

Once I turned things over to Taylor, he shone. We still have accidents here and there, but I think he's basically got being a "big boy" down. Thank goodness!

I even feel comfortable enough to venture out of the house now. Andrew and I took the kids out to Cold Stone yesterday for their "Make a Wish" ice cream social, and Taylor rocked it. I also went to the mall today to let my boys play at the "inside park" and see the animals at the pet store. Big Boy did awesome again.

I finally feel free!

(Knock on wood)

Little boys looking at puppies in the pet store window at the mall

Taylor isn't the only kid around here who's been making big strides.

For the past month, Russell has been trying to walk. It's been off and on, but this week, he's decided that walking is his thing. Even though this has been a gradual process, it's strange but fun to see him walk in-and-out of rooms on his own---doing his cute little baby thing.

Ruh-russ Stuffing his face with Ramen Noodles for Lunch

Russell's first steps just over three weeks ago...

...a few weeks after that...

...tonight.

What a little man! Wasn't he just born yesterday? (I swear I was there...)

He's growing up so quickly.

Running with Toddlers

2011-09-26T23:17:00.000-06:00

I heard my kids wake up at 6:40 this morning. I slowly rose and tried to pause for a peaceful moment of serenity before I went out to the trenches again--and for the first time this year, I noticed yellow leaves on the tree in front of my house.

I can't deny it (though sometimes I'd like to): Fall is in the air. It was beautiful and calming to look at in those brief minutes.

Then I went to my sons' bedroom and was brought back to reality by the greetings of one singularly nasty Pull Up.

And a very upset toddler...that is, when he learned that he, (not me) would get to clean the grossness up. That made for a slightly dramatic morning.

After that adventure, I decided that I didn't want to worry about cleaning up any more Pull Up messes today. Or underwear messes. That's right. Taylor didn't wear anything from the waist down today....

...except when I went on my 7 mile run with the kids. Then, I figured at least underwear was in order.

Has anyone out there gone running with restless toddlers before? If not, I warn you, it can be a bit tricky. My little boy questioned me endlessly, as follows:

Taylor: "Mom, I want to walk. Can I get out?"

Me: (short of breath): "No. I....need...to...run...now."

Taylor: "Why?"

Me: "Just because...I do."

Taylor: "But why do you have to?"

Me: "Because...I'm going... to run...another....race...soon."

Taylor: "Why??"

Me: "Let's just...be quiet for now."

*Brief pause*

Taylor: "When are we going to get to the Porta Potty?"

Me: "Does...the...pee...need to...come out?"

Taylor: "Yes! It does!"

Me (coming to a screeching halt--pausing stroller, iTunes, making baby Russell fussy.):"Now? Do you need to get out right now?"

Taylor: "Yes! We do!"

Me: "Do you think you can wait until we get to the Porta Potty?"

Taylor: "But I need to get OUT!"

Me: "Because you need to go potty?"

Taylor: "No, I don't."

Great. Thanks for that, little stinker.

It was start, stop. Start, stop. For my entire run. There were questions, potty needs, several potty breaks and potty attempts (shown below), and by the time we were finished,

I was finished.

When I say "finished," I mean super exhausted. My mind and body had given just about everything it had to give for that run. Talk about exhausting! I definitely felt very accomplished when I checked that task off my list.

I've pointed out some struggles of the day, but truly, today was a success. Besides this morning's Pull Up of death, Taylor had no accidents and even got excited about sitting on the potty, thanks to this new (FREE) discovery:

I think he could pretend to make cupcakes all day if I'd let him. (Hey, maybe that's my ticket out of this...sitting my kid on the potty with "Easy Bake Oven" app all day long! Ha.)

We also decided to give it a try (thanks for your suggestions everyone): and put him in thick trainer underwear tonight. I'm crossing my fingers! Andrew had the idea to get him a night light to encourage waking up in the night for potty needs. The two of them went to Target to choose one:

Here's the winner (can you tell this is a night light?). Taylor says Buzz will protect him if he get's too scared to go in the dark bathroom. Cute.

Righteous/Lucious

2011-09-25T22:14:00.006-06:00

My awesome hubby made today so much better than the last.

After the standard morning kid routine, he took over most of the potty training and played with the kids while I rested. Then later he gave me a back rub.

Ahhh, much better.

Today had a couple great family moments that also made the day brighter:

1. Taylor asked Andrew if he could watch "The Righteous Brothers" this morning. Andrew had no idea what he was talking about. Taylor clarified, "You remember Dad, the one about the airplanes?" Oh yeah--The Wright Brothers.

2. We FaceTimed my Dad and 17 year-old brother Devin tonight. Devin has been dating a cute gal who has the kind of name that just itches for sibling pestilence: Lisa Amor. I usually can't resist dropping some goofy comment his way when I ask him about how she's doing, and tonight he responded hillariously to my attempt to get his goat: "So how's Miss La-la-L'Amour?" I say. Devin smiled with an immediate response: "La-la-lucious!"

Ha ha! Too perfect. Devin's a crack up.

As I prepare to put on the armor of a potty trainer again tomorrow, I have a question to put out there:

Pull Ups at night...yes or no? I can't figure that one out.

One "Love It" to Go, Please

2011-09-24T22:59:00.003-06:00

Today's end was the bringer of meltdowns.

I guess should have seen it coming when I cried yesterday while watching "Cinderella" with Taylor (it was just so sweet that she found love after all she'd been through, you know??).

I'm sure this is just your typical PMS, but I'm also thinking I may have overloaded my plate without realizing it.

First there's the potty training thing. Did you know that Taylor had three accidents today? Three accidents. Three, that didn't seem to bother him in the least. Sigh.

And there's also the new race that I'm signed up for (did I mention that I'm training again?). It's a running event in Highlands Ranch called the Wildcat Mountain--it's a 10 mile trail run. That's right, TEN miles. I thought about doing it after feeling so great after doing my tri, and Andrew encouraged me to take the challenge. I am excited for sure, but I'm also wondering if I've bit off a little more than I can chew...

Today began after I sent my husband off to work early (on a Saturday--total stink), I ran six miles with the kids in their stroller, followed by cleaning up poopy underwear a couple times, fighting to stay awake with Taylor and his potty needs, then got dinner ready for my family. After dinner I dressed in my Sunday best and went to the Relief Society general broadcast.

The RS broadcast is an event I look forward to every year. It's always so uplifiting and inspiring...and tonight was no exception. But somehow this time I didn't leave feeling nearly as great as usual. It actually took me some effort to get though the event--I was so distracted. After it ended, I made chit chat with some of the gals in my ward, then drove straight to Cold Stone, where I ordered a big "Love it" of Oreo Cream ice cream and inhaled it while I window shopped at Southwest Plaza.

Then I bought two shirts at the Gap. Yeah, so much for the window shopping. And if you know me, you know that spontaneously buying clothes so not a 'me' thing to do. I love being cute and trendy, but I'm also a real penny pincher! Hard to find the balance...Anyway, what's come over me?

I drove home, feeling buyers remorse and also feeling badly that I had left Andrew alone with the kids all night long. I sat down to really talk with my husband for the first time all day and tears started to trickle down my face, through intermittent laughter.

I know I'm not the only mom who's busy, and so many moms out there have succeeded in potty training their kids too (multiple times even--I don't know how they do it)!

But somehow all of it makes me a mess. All I want to do right now is eat ice cream, and I don't know whether to laugh or cry!

This is so ridiculous.

Potty Training Diaries: Day Three

2011-09-23T20:52:00.000-06:00

Well, Taylor woke up with wet "Pull Up underwear" (as we call it) and had an accident after lunch time.

That's the bad news.

Now for the good:

Taylor POOPED in the potty today! (is it too alarming to put the word "pooped" in bold and all caps on my public blog?)

He performed for his dad, after holding it all day I am convinced. Time, and using Andrew's new iPhone game, "Temple Run" as a distractor did the trick. When he was done, Andrew asked him if it was a scary experience. His response: "NO. It was COOL!"

Temple Run

I think Taylor felt a hardy dose enthusiasm from his parents, as we were constantly hugging and praising him, rewarding him, and asking him questions like "What did you do today?" and "Are you a big boy?"

Taylor showing off his double dose of Spiderman fruit snacks, just before for having a special movie night with Mom and Dad.

Please don't mind the potty talk here...ADrew and I feel like shouting this exciting news to the rooftops! We are super thrilled. Getting our little guy to this point was no easy feat!

King Soopers

2011-09-22T21:26:00.001-06:00

I hear opinions all the time that McDonalds has geared their marketing toward kids--Ronald McDonald and characters, their play areas, Happy Meals. You know what I mean. The idea that you hook 'em while they're young.

But I think King Soopers has really got it down.

My kids love the going to the grocery store more than any other place.

Seriously. They BEG me to go.

Even Russell hypes up when we drive by the store or when he hears the words "King Soopers."

I can't say that I blame them...

How can you beat riding in a two-seater car grocery cart,

In some cases, with Disney TV playing as Mommy shops?

Well, you can,

if you give each kid a free cookie from the bakery each time they visit,

and 1¢ pony rides as they exit the store.

And as far as I can tell, every King Soopers in the Denver metro area has these cool features for kids. (What I want to know is, where on earth do they get all the penny horses??)

They're great. I remember hating going grocery shopping with my mom at times as a kid. King Soopers, you've definitely won the "Mommy Approved Store of the Year" award from me!

Potty Training Diaries: Day Two

2011-09-22T20:43:00.004-06:00

I survived another day in the trenches of toddler motherhood.

I was even disciplined enough to wake Taylor up early to take him potty before he could go in his pants. Big score on that one--I am so not a morning person.

The sad part is, we sat in the bathroom for an hour together wating for Mother Nature's wonders to arrive,

and they never did. It was stage fright I guess.

One hour later, I welcomed four other 3 year-olds into my home for Playgroup. That added to the craziness, but it was good kind of crazy. And besides, I'm already getting cabin fever. It was good to have a change of pace.

The kids danced (little Russell LOVED that), they snacked, played, read books, made crafts.

Taylor remained pantsless of course.

Amazingly enough, through all the commotion my potty-champ-in-training rocked his new skills.

It was after lunch that the story changed. It was gross. Tedious. Stressful. Oh I hope my Taylor gets this pooping thing figured out soon!

I am so not a fan.

Any suggestions?

Yum

2011-09-21T22:21:00.002-06:00

Mmmmm...Palisade peaches.

This year I found a connection to a farmer who grows these beautiful babies. I couldn't resist buying a bunch! My family and I are inhaling them.

When I lived with my cousin Brittany in college, she forever changed me after she made one of her favorite recipes to share with me and our roomies: Aunt Margene's fresh peach pie.

Ooooh. La. La.

I've been drooling ever since.

After having these peaches in our home for only two days, have already made Aunt Margene's pie.

If you hurry, you can come visit us and taste this a slice of this heaven!

Potty Training Diaries

2011-09-21T21:43:00.000-06:00

I began "Potty Training: Day One" with Taylor again today.

I attempted this awful process months ago in May. It was in a word, a DREADFUL experience.

I almost chickened-out on making today's attempt so many times.

But here I am. And here he is, my potty training pirate...Mr. 7 out of 8 successful pees and 0 out of 2 successful poops. Not perfect, but it's something, and like I said, it's his first day. Last time his desire for potty successes was NILL.

I'm crossing my fingers for tomorrow.

Triathlon!

2011-09-19T18:11:00.000-06:00

Saturday was one of THE BEST days of my life.

Generally for me, days that get remembered that way are the ones that were life changing. The ones that brought me inner peace, great joy, and deep reflection. Saturday morning was one of those times.

The morning began with a phone alarm sounding at 5:45 a.m., shortly followed by a knock at the door from Donna, who had come to watch my kids. Andrew and I gathered our things, mounted my bike to his car, and drove in the cold dark stillness to Cherry Creek State Park, where my triathlon would begin in a few hours.

I felt so cold (low temp. for the day was 52 ; the high was 73). Bundled up in long sleeves, pants, and Andrew's jacket, I checked-in for the race and set up my transition area: bike. helmet. swim cap. goggles. wetsuit. running shoes. sunglasses. race tags. water.

Then it was time to be marked. My race number on both arms and my age on my right leg (my dream is that someday the number "70" will be written there!).

Then I scouted-out what would be my first leg of the tri: the swim course. The orange buoys marked the perimeter of a triangular-shaped course you can mostly see above.

The air was cool and crisp, smell of neoprene was in air....ahhh.

And yes, that is a dead fish you see lying on the shore. Nice touch.

A thoughtful friend of mine loaned her wetsuit to me at the last minute. I hadn't ever trained in a wetsuit before, but after briefly testing it out in that morning's chilly 69 degree water, I decided it was defininitely worth wearing. On it went!

At 8:20 a.m., after eleven waves of racers began their swim, it was finally time for my wave--the 25-29 year-old women-- to begin the race.

Almost the instant that I entered the water, these strange sensations came engulfed me:

cold. darkness. heavy pressure on my chest. difficulty breathing.

I felt like had thrown myself into a cold, dark abyss.

This happened to me. A competitive swimmer (or so I thought). I love being in the water, and I had trained for this open water swim!

After taking several drinks of lake water and swimming a kind of faux-breastroke with my head above the water, I started to come around. The thought came to me that I was probably having some kind of panic attack (never experienced that before), and I needed to calm down, breathe evenly, and start putting my face in the water. This mind-over-matter struggle lasted for about one-third of the 750 meter swim.

Eventually, I got my cool together enough to stop swimming breastroke and get into some freestyle, but I never totally sped up the way that I do during competitive pool races.

Here's another weird thought: I never felt afraid out there--like I said before, I love being in the water. It's like my second home. It was just like my body decided to respond differently to the swim than I had planned.

I still don't really understand what happened to me out there.

I am convinced, open water swimming is an entirely different game.

I finished the swim in 20 minutes...5 minutes slower than I had predicted I would.

But that's okay... now I know what to expect! Next time I will be better prepared to tackle what the lake deals to me.

Here's looking at the long run down the beach and up a hill to where my bike was. Getting that wetsuit off was tricky to do in a hurry! Now that, I really was totally unprepared for. Another learning experience.

My body was ready for that bike ride. Just a little roundhouse kick to the camera for added badness effect...

...and I was off!

These pictures don't do the beauty of the ride justice. I meandered through fall-colored trees, pretty streams, overlooked the reservoir...it was simply gorgeous.

Completed the 11.5 mile ride in just under 48 minutes. Not too bad for a gal on a heavy mountain bike--going against all the road bike lightweights!

By the time the run arrived, my body kicked right into gear. It knew exactly what to do.

Swim. Bike. Run. I generally struggle most with the run, but this time, having pushed two kids in a jogging stroller for training and running the Bolder Boulder and 4th of July 5K this summer, I was ready. The run felt really nice. Simple. Invigorating. Healing. Peaceful.

What takes me 45 minutes to run with two kids took only 31 minutes here!

The finish line. I did it!

12 minutes faster than my triathlon in Highlands Ranch two years ago. I'm happy with that.

Video that Andrew took of me just minutes after I finished.

I said it once and will say it again: this was one of the best days of my life.

I overcame struggles, I accomplished goals, I developed greater confidence, I gained a deeper understanding of self, I felt closer to God.

I will do this again.

And again.

Here's a HUGE thank you to all of my sweet "sponsors:"

Anne- Who dressed me up with her fashionable exercise headbands for the race.

Alison- Who loaned us her telephoto lens and made all my awesome close-up pictures of the swim possible.

Jacove- Who offered her wetsuit to me at the last minute (thank you, thank you, thank you!). I'm sure I would have been a freezing maniac without it.

Aunt Donna- My tri mentor and world-class babysitter, who sacrificed so much of her time and knowledge to help me prepare for this race and to take care of my little guys on race day.

and last but not least...

My handsome hubby Andrew- Who sacrificed the most so I could do this tri. He gave up countless evenings and weekend mornings of would-be free time to watch our boys while I trained, and to be with me while I raced. He understood my motives behind it all and was always supportive, never complaining. He is so selfless and understanding. I am such a lucky lady.

I absolutely could not have done this without you. Thank you so much, everyone.

P.S. Next racing ideas (anyone game?):
HRCA Wildcat Mountain 5/10 Mile Run
Rugged Maniac Adventure 5K
Orem "Earn Your Turkey" Thanksgiving Day Run