lego mania

I am not exaggerating when I say that the girls spent the entire weekend playing with legos.  They built, sorted, and made an entire little village on the one side of our playroom.

Two funny/scary things came out of this.

First of all, Olivia obviously walked through one area of the village and wasn't quite as careful as she should have been.  Amelia commented, "I think a tornado came through here!"  Meredith responded, "I think it was a Livi tornado."

Second story:
Did you know that you can download lego plans from their website?  People are pretty rough on their instruction guides around here.  So, when the girls were putting together some of their older sets this weekend, they had the computer sitting down low on a kitchen chair so that they could see the plans from the computer.

Our laptop typically sits on the counter right next to where they have been working this weekend.  At one point this morning, I heard Olivia say to one of her sisters, "I held the computer, and I didn't even drop it."

Cue pride from the child.  Cue panic from the mother.

We then had a very serious discussion about how "you may NOT move Mommy's computer! You may ask Mommy to move it for you, but you may not move it yourself!"  ...followed by prayers of thanksgiving that she didn't drop it. :)  Whew!!

the half marathon: training

Yep.

So, after I ran a 10K (6.1 miles) a couple of years ago, I started believing that I might be crazy enough to try a half marathon.  I wanted to do it last year, but it just didn't work out with the events that we had on our schedule.  This year was the year.  

I used Hal Higdon's novice training schedule, and overall I was very pleased with the training.  Our neighbor-friends were kind enough to let me run on their treadmill for the first several weeks, and they hooked up a t.v. with both Netflix and Amazon Prime AND added an earphone jack.  Guess who was spoiled?  Me.  And I happily indulged myself with the first two seasons of Downton Abbey.  (On a side note, who has the remaining seasons that I can borrow?!)

About a month into the training, I had to run a 5K race.  Thankfully, there was a free one being held nearby, so I signed up.  About a half mile into the race, I decided that treadmill running and outside running are two very different events.  Not that I didn't already know it...I did.  I just didn't think it would make that much of a difference.  I ran the slowest race of my life.  This was humbling to say the least.  

Oh, hello, motivation...nice to meet you.  

Thankfully, the days were getting longer and the weather was improving, so I moved my training to the great outdoors.  I did a 6 or 7 mile run by myself and decided I needed some running buddies to help me along the way.  I knew I would never be able run week after week without a little encouragement.  I walk waayyy too easily when I'm alone.  

So, as always, my facebook friends came to my rescue.  My friend, Shannon, told me that she would be happy to do my 7 mile (I think) run with me the following week.  My faithful running buddy, Kristin, also joined us for a few miles (and Kristin did a lot of my shorter runs each week with me).  

Let me take a minute to tell you about Shannon (who has still not run her first official road race...she's going to kick some major butt when she does).  Shannon is a few years older than me, faithfully runs 3-6 miles a few times a week, and is a complete drill sergeant when it comes to running.  Throughout the remainder of my training, she encouraged me, often made me run farther than necessary, and refused to let me walk.  She.was.incredible.  

She ran my long run with me every weekend for the remainder of my training...7, 8, 9, 10.  The week we ran 9 miles was the worst.  We ran it on a Saturday evening, and it was brutal.  I remember asking her at one point how far we'd gone.  When she told me 3 miles, I wanted to lie on the road and cry.  We made it, though.  When I got home that night, I was shuffling around like a 90 year old woman.  (I almost wrote 80, but I was certainly not moving that well.)  My back hurt like it did a few summers ago when I pulled something.  I was actually afraid that I had damaged myself in some way.

I remember telling Josh that night (on the verge of tears), "I can't believe that I have to go 10 miles next weekend.  I just want to run the race next weekend.  I don't want to feel like this again.  I just want this training to be over."

I dreaded the following weekend.  I was out of town Thursday night through Saturday night.  I hadn't slept well Thursday or Friday night, and I didn't get home until after 11:00 on Saturday.  I contemplated skipping church just to get more rest, but I didn't.  All I wanted to do when we came home from church was take a nap.  But instead, I put on my running clothes, and drove down to a new area of town where we hadn't run previously.  We decided that we needed some new scenery if we were going to go 10 miles.  And we added an extra running buddy as well. :)

Shannon brought along her runner-neighbor, Cate.  It was fun to have an extra buddy along for our 10 miles.  Cate is super energetic and decided that we should line up and high-five any other runners that we met along our path.  This kind of fun was right up my alley.  I loved it.  I could hardly believe it when Shannon looked at us and said, "We just hit 5 miles, girls!!"  It felt like 2.  

The first 8 miles of our 10 mile run felt good to me.  The last two were rough...the last one especially.  I found complete joy in the fact that this was my last training week and the following week I was actually going to run my half.

I couldn't believe how great I felt after that last long run.  It was phenomenal compared to the previous week.  I was actually looking forward to my race!!

Next up: the race.

summer in pictures

Potty training.  We spent most of the summer working on it.  We're quitters.  Cleaning up Olivia's number twos a few times a day for 10 weeks straight makes us quitters.  I'm okay with that.  We certainly earned some points for our effort.  

{these two}

These two.  

-very headstrong

-want their own way

-want to sit next to each other at meals

-aren't allowed to sit next to each other at meals

-can't stop touching

-can't stop bossing the other

-want to always play with the toy that the other has

Next summer?  Only time will tell.

They obviously love each other a bunch.  Really, they do. :)

fun.with.googly.eyes

So what do you do when it's rainy outside? Play with googly-eyes, of course!!

Amelia was the funniest! We decided that pinching your eyes shut was the best method. {I could barely take pictures because I was laughing so hard!}

I asked my facebook friends, and now I'll ask you...what do you do for fun on rainy days? I'll post my finalized list soon!

olivia.noelle

I have to start by apologizing for not posting this earlier! Sometimes I forget that there might be other people that read my blog other than my mom and my sister! :)

We welcomed Olivia Noelle into the world on Tuesday morning! She was 8 lbs. 9 oz. and about 20 inches long. We can hardly believe that we're the parents of 4 little girls...how great is that?!

The c-section went very well, but my recovery wasn't so great on Tuesday. The pain meds that they gave me following the c/s made me very sick. I vomited 6 or 7 times through the afternoon, and I could barely hold Olivia. Each time I sat up, I threw up. It wasn't a very fun day.

The doctor ordered a very strong anti-nausea medication which completely knocked me out and made me say really crazy and funny things. I'll share a few:

My nurse asked me: "On a scale of 1 to 10, what would you rate your pain?" My answer: "106/107". Ouch...I must have really been hurting! :)

Later, Josh asked me how the medicine was working. I looked at him, held my hand up in a fist-like shape, and said, "Better than this stapler!"

After a few hours, I woke up and realized that I was saying off-the-wall things. But, I still couldn't help myself! I was falling asleep in 10 seconds, having a dream, and waking back up to comment on it. I remember looking over at Josh at one point and saying, "You have to kill it!" I then apologized and told him that I was dreaming that there was a praying mantis on the floor. He had picked it up and thrown it into the trash without killing it. I knew if he didn't kill it that it would climb back out...hence the comment! :)

Anyway, that medicine completely worked, and I felt just fine after it wore off. I felt much better yesterday and today. They're struggling to find the best pain meds for me right now. The ones I'm on just don't seem strong enough with my current pain levels. The nurses are checking my past charts with the other girls to see what worked best with my other c-sections.

The girls loved meeting Olivia the other night. As you can tell by the pictures, Olivia has 3 very proud big sisters. I'm pretty sure she's going to be the most popular girl in the house for quite some time! :)

crazy.days

So, Tuesday, I had an OB appointment.  I gained 8 lbs. in November which is, by far, the most I've gained all pregnancy.  My favorite part of the visit?  When my doc walked in, the first things she said was, "I see Thanksgiving was good to you!"  Love it. :)

The baby was hilarious.  We were trying to find the heartbeat, and he/she was not having any of it.  The whole time the baby was kicking and bouncing around trying to get away from the doppler.  I couldn't stop laughing!  I love my baby.

After my appointment, we headed to Steak 'n Shake to have lunch with my mom and my aunt.  Claire had been complaining of stomach pains all morning, and she wasn't sure if was going to #2 or puke. 

At the restaurant, they thankfully sat us in a booth, and Claire pretty much laid down most of the time we were there.  We had plastic bags just in case something came up!! 

While eating lunch, my mom looks down, and Amelia was pottying in her high chair.  Lovely.  Thankfully, I had packed extra clothes in my purse the day before.  Yay for being prepared!  I got that all cleaned up, and it was time to leave. 

On our way home, I made sure Claire was set up with her bags since she still wasn't feeling well.  We're about 3 minutes into our trip when Meredith starts complaining that her stomach hurts as well.  About 2 minutes later, she shouts, "I need a bag!  I need a bag!"  Totally pukes...thankfully in the bag.

Great.  I thought Claire was sick, and it turns out to be Meredith!  Have no fear.  Claire did not disappoint.  About 8 minutes later, Claire puked as well.  About 30 seconds after that, Meredith puked again.  Mind you, this was all in the van! :)

I was extremely impressed with everyone's ability to effectively hit their bags!  We had more rounds of vomit throughout the day and evening, but we all survived with minimal clean up. 

Thankfully, it was short-lived, and everyone is now back to normal.  The moral of the story is this:  Puke happens.  Potty happens.  And there is definitely a place in this world for plastic bags.  (I'm pretty sure I used about 6 of them in that one hour.)

croaked

Lesson of the day: if you're a little frog who can jump through the crack of a door while it's open, you need to move quickly...extremely quickly.

Because more than likely, the man of the house (who doesn't like to keep the doors open any longer than necessary) will shut the door much faster than his three lovely daughters.

And this, my dear amphibian friend, will result in your death.

The lady of the house will find you (because she's extremely observant). She'll think you're pretty disgusting. She'll take a picture. She'll post you on her blog.

Next time, just stay out. Please.

meredith's.shoes

These are Meredith's favorite shoes. She wears them everywhere. Everywhere....and with everything. I picked them up at the resale for a couple of bucks. I figured she'd like them.

I didn't know how much. She's been wearing them for months. I thought they were probably getting too small. I think she's stretching them out.

This particular picture that I've posted was taken at some point over the summer. The girls love taking pictures of their feet, so I assumed that I would be able to find a picture of these shooes in my files. It was easy.

Well, our little Meredith is wearing a hole right through one of her shoes. What do I do? I encourage her to put on different shoes, but they just don't "feel right" to her. She's particular like that.

They are Circo brand (Target), but I know they don't sell them any longer. So, I jump on eBay....really what can't you find on eBay? I don't even know what to type in. I try "Circo Black and White Shoes". No size, no girl, no nothing fancy.

It was like a sign from above. Up pops 1 listing for Circo Black and White Shoes size 9 (like new)which was ending in 3 hours. She's currently in size 8. Wow. They were only 89 cents...of course the shipping was almost $6.

Pure craziness. She is going to be thrilled.

 

silly.girl

We have a rule in our house: If Amelia has a tiny toy in her mouth that she can choke on, it will be thrown away.

Most of the time, when this happens, I take the toy and toss it. No one even knows because they don't see it.

Today was a different story. A teeny, tiny My Little Pony Plate ended up in Amelia's mouth. I took it out and threw it away.

Meredith was sitting there and asked what it was. I said, "It was a little white plate that goes with your ponies."

"Mom!" she protested, "that is my favorite plate, but I don't know which one you're talking about!"

She proceeded to tell me at least three more times that it was indeed her favorite plate although she wasn't sure which one it was.

Finally, I said, "If you don't know which one it is, how can it be your favorite?" She replied, "I think I know which one it is now."

Suuuurrrre.

oh.amelia

Today, while I was on the phone with my mom, I hear Amelia crying in the back of the house. I walk into the hallway to try to find her.

She had shut herself in the bathroom....with the light off....and had opened one of the left side drawers in our vanity.

No big deal, right? Well, it wouldn't normally be a big deal, except that when you close the door AND open a left side drawer, you can't open the door to the bathroom. The door opens into the bathroom and the drawer blocks it.

Hmmmm....I had to think about this one. There is no other way into the bathroom besides through the door which was not opening because a drawer was blocking it.

Poor little Amelia. I had been really good about closing that bathroom door because of her obsession with the toilet. I guess I forgot once today.

Me: "Amelia, can you close the drawer? Close the drawer sweetie!!"

Amelia: Cry, cry, cry.

Me: (thinking) That was a total long shot. She obviously doesn't know how to close a drawer in the dark or the light for that matter. (Although she did figure out how to open it in the dark.)

So, I hang up with my mom and go into problem solving mode. Meredith brought me a flashlight, and I picked up a butter knife.

There was about a 1/2 inch gap to work with once the door opened, so I shined the light in and slowly closed the drawer with the butter knife.

Thankfully, Amelia had stopped crying and I didn't have to bust any doors or drawers. Overall, a pretty good day. :)

 

running.story.1

The couch to 5K program that I trained with was pretty great. If you've ever considered running, it is fantastic! It is a walk/run program where you run for so many minutes and walk for so many minutes so that you get walking breaks within your training program.

So, one Sunday afternoon I was going out for a run. It was a run 8 minutes/walk 5 minutes/run 8 minutes. It was the farthest I had run all at once up to that point. I was feeling pretty good with my 8 minute run.

Once I was through the first 8 minutes, I started to not feel so well...stomach grumbling and such. I was glad that I had 5 minutes of walking to recover for a bit and start feeling better. Unfortunately, the 5 minutes was not enough.

As soon as I took my first 3 running steps to start my second 8 minute stretch, I really had to #2. (Sorry if you don't like blog posts about #2s...you can quit reading now if you're one of those people.) So, I stopped running and continued walking for fear that I wasn't going to make it back in a cleanly manner.

The problem at this point was that I was 8 minutes (running) away from home. I was afraid I wasn't going to make it back home even if I didn't run. The running was jostling my insides a bit too much, and the walking was slowing me down. What to do, what to do?

I tried (unsuccessfully) to begin to run again and that lasted about 2 seconds. I made it back to the driveway, but that's still a quarter mile to go. Who chose to live so far off the road? (Not mentioning any names....(cough) JOSH.)

I was miserable. One of the most miserable times that I've experienced in my life....seriously. It was borderline worse than labor...not more painful, mind you...just almost as miserable.

Thankfully, I made it home...barely. I took a few days off at that point to recover from the traumatic experience.

Any of you runners care to share running bathroom stories? Anyone else care to share regular bathroom stories? You know you have one.....maybe you don't want to share it, but you do have one. :)

a.must

Cake wrecks was so funny the other day....I was glad I didn't have a full bladder. You MUST see the whole post!

definitely.pouring

Three girls.

Three fevers.

Three surprisingly fairly-pleasant children.

Claire took a dose of motrin at 2:45, and at 4:30 her temp was 104.5. The doctor is switching her antibiotic since the one she's on isn't seeming to be working like it's supposed to.

Amelia took an extremely long nap this afternoon (yay!) and hasn't thrown up all day (yay!), but now she's got it coming out of her bottom (boo.).

Meredith is sitting at 102.1 and she'll be starting some meds if she goes any higher.

Yes, we're running a small hospital at our house.

Is it June? Because I'm pretty darn sure that wedding season is upon us as well. Timing could have been a little better, but it's not as bad as it could have been. Next week would have been worse! Thank you, Lord for this week and not next. Amen.

rough.week

Well, Claire is up and down like she's been. She's had a couple of spiked temps since she's been home, but nothing that hasn't been cured with a little motrin.

Amelia, on the other hand, woke up this morning covered in puke! She had thrown up all over her bed (which had oozed out onto the carpet...t.m.i., I know). Ugh.

I guess when it rains, it pours.

airline.update

So, I talked with supervisor Beth yesterday about my bag. I had called earlier in the week but hadn't heard back....frustrating, yes.

She said, "Didn't Rachel call you back?" Ummmm....no. (I really wasn't surprised as I'm sure Rachel was tired of being the bearer of bad news.)

She proceeds to tell me that they have decided to split the difference with me on the bag that I purchased (from Marshall's) for $49. The bag was "originally" $160, priced at Marshall's for $79 and on clearance for $49. It was a really nice bag.

So, they were going to give me $24 for my bag. I informed her that I appreciated her working with me, but I still could not purchase a new bag (even a cheap one) for $24. This is now becoming a matter of principle. ...do unto others, you know?

I asked her what she would expect if someone damaged her bag...to which she replied that she understood my frustration. I informed her that I run my own business and when we have issues arise with our clients, we fess up and make things right with them. I don't feel like I am being unreasonable here.

"Oh, and didn't Rachel offer you a travel voucher? We are definitely willing to offer that to you." Ummmm...I don't think I'll be traveling with (named airline) again. This has been WAY too much of a hassle.

I told her that even though my bag wasn't that expensive and that it may have depreciated to the value of less than $9 in their eyes (they felt like they were being generous with their $9), that I still had to replace my bag that was in perfectly good condition when I dropped it off. Not only that, I was planning to use this bag for several years to come!

I cannot replace my bag even for $24, and I would simply like an amount that would replace my bag with a bag of equal quality. (The cheapest bag that I have seen to replace my old bag was $30.) I told her that I felt like I was being as honest as I could, and I could have lied to her and told her I had a Samsonite bag that I paid $160 for 2 years ago.

So (after I'm guessing she decided that I wasn't going to let it go), she finally offered to take it to a higher authority.

Thank you, yes, I would appreciate that very much. And the saga continues next week...

are.you.kidding.me?

Picture me about to pull my hair out.

Picture me on the verge of swearing...a lot. (just on the verge)

Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

I just got off the phone with the airline regarding my damaged bag.

Yes, it's been 3 weeks and it's still not resolved. Really? Three weeks! How hard is this??

So, I've been passed around to about 5 different people, and finally today I get an answer about how much they are going to give me for my bag.

Drum roll please......

$9.

Yes, I typed that right. $9. For my bag...that was in perfect condition when I dropped it off, paid $30 to have it checked (round trip), and returned to me falling apart in two different spots.

I was asked on several occasions what brand of bag that I owned. It wasn't branded, although I could have lied about it and said, you know, Samsonite or something expensive like that! No, no, not Jackie. She would certainly NOT lie about something like that (something like how many cookies I ate...maybe...but not luggage).

Anyway, so they are so sorry for the problems and will send me $9 for my bag and a travel voucher for $50 for the next time I fly on their airline. The next time? I don't think I'll be travelling with them again.

Ok, and in the meantime, I have purchased another bag for another travel date because I don't know when they will get me a new bag or a money for a new bag.

"Ma'am, we cannot pay for that bag." I don't want you to pay for my bag...I want you to pay $40 for my OTHER bag...that was fully functional before you lost it and destroyed it!

So, Monday morning (when manager Beth is in again), I am going to be giving her a call sometime between 10 am and 6:30 pm. You can bet that at around 10:02 there will be a nice children's video playing at our house and a phone call being made to manager Beth.

Hopefully, I'll be much calmer by then and will not sound so irate on the phone. I will be collecting my thoughts and writing my notes out. And if this isn't resolved, my faithful blogger buddies will all know which airline NOT to fly on the next time you travel.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Seriously $9?

can't.sit.still

Little Miss cannot sit still to save her life! This picture pretty much sums up TWO attempts to take her 1 year pictures (and we're a month behind already!).

AND, if I can get her to sit for two seconds, she doesn't smile. We'll try again soon! :)

 

sanity.for.40.cents

This bottle right here is pure sanity. I'm a MAJOR store-brand purchaser. The last time I purchased cooking spray, I bought the store brand.

The cap was extremely hard to take off each time I wanted to use it. I finally just left it off and put it away (mind you, this was something that bothered me every time I did it...weird, I know).

So, the last time I went shopping at the store, I purchased this little bottle of sanity for just 40 cents more than the store brand bottle of INsanity.

You just twist that little top to the left....spray....and twist it back to the right. "Simple Touch Spray" should actually be in the small letters. "Click & Go nozzle" is what should be in big, bold letters.

Ah, the simple things in life. :)

 

boston.wednesday

Let's just say that this day was one that needed patience.

Before you read this post...if you have 4 minutes...watch this clip. I was trying to keep it all in perspective as my day was unfolding.

1. We woke up at 5:40 a.m. to leave for the airport by 6:00 a.m. for Julie's 8:00 flight.

2. Right before we left, I had to hit that bathroom. Rachel graciously loaded my bag. She, thoughtfully left my purse out so that I could have it with me in the car.

3. I, absentmindedly, didn't ask for my purse when I got in the car. I guess I thought it was in the trunk.

4. We drove to the airport...1 hour away.

5. About 5 minutes before we arrived at the airport, Rachel said, "Where's your purse?" I said, "I thought you put it in the trunk." She said, "&*#%!!! I'm sure I set it on the garage floor thinking that you'd walk right by it."

6. Good news....my flight isn't until 10:15. Bad news....now we have to drive 1 hour back to Rae's house and another hour back to the airport. Stink.

7. Rachel feels really bad....I feel really bad. Double stink.

8. Drive back to Rae's...drive back to the airport.

9. Check in and learn that my flight is delayed until 11:30.

10. Hear my name called..."Ma'am, yes, we don't think you are going to make your connecting flight at 12:30, so we've bumped you back to the 1:50 flight." Stink.

11. Board the plane. Head to the runway. Stop. Announcement: "We've been delayed yet again. Please sit tight. We'll be on our way in about 35 minutes." Stink.

12. Make it on the next flight. Didn't have much time to eat...so I didn't. And should have.

13. Starving Jackie. I do get a teeny-tiny bag of pretzels and a sprite on the plane. I think there were 6 pretzels in the bag...maybe 7.

14. There was a lady sitting one row back with 2 small children (obviously travelling alone). I say, "If you need help with anything while we're on this flight, let me know. I have 3 small children, and I've travelled with them before. It can be crazy sometimes!"

15. She is so sweet, and we start talking. Her little girl (Jassie...not sure if that's how she spells it) is 6, and her little boy (Jason) is 5 months. So adorable.

16. She is on her way from Germany (where her husband plays professional basketball) to come back to the US for a few months while he's off. Wow.

17. So, I ask if her daughter is in kindergarten in Germany. She says, "We home school." Us too!!!

18. Then, I say to the little girl..."Your name is Jassie? My name is Jackie, and it kind of sounds like Jassie!" Mom says, "Your name is Jackie? My name is Jackie!" Now this is just getting crazy!!

19. I make a new best friend....and I get to hold baby Jason while Jackie and Jassie were in the bathroom. He was soooooo adorable. He even giggled once.

20. We finally land. I'm starving.

21. I go to the McDonald's in the airport to eat because I think that I'm about to pass out from lack of food.

22. I order a value meal and eat the whole thing...something I never do.

23. I go to get my luggage which I assumed came in on the earlier flight.

24. The man says, "I've been paging you." Uh-oh.

25. Local time 5:15....he says, "Your luggage got put on the wrong flight, and it won't be here until 6:30." I still have 2 hours to drive home from the airport.

26. I feel tears welling up in my eyes because I've been travelling for about 12 hours straight at this point. I am so tired. Deep breath....composure....no tears.

27. The man says that once the luggage arrives, they'll get it to my house by the following day.

28. Ok, I can live without my luggage for a night. I drive 2 1/2 hours home.

29. The following morning, a man comes to my house with my bag.

30. My coat is falling out of the bag....this doesn't look good.

31. My zipper is destroyed and the back of my bag is torn open.

32. I called the airline right away, and they're still working on it. I guess. That was last Thursday. I got a call yesterday afternoon, and they said they are still trying to figure out what to do.

33. Is it that difficult? I really just want a new bag.

So, on the bright side....Rachel and I got a little extra chat-time in, I made a new best friend on my second flight, and I think I might get a new piece of luggage. Not bad for one day.