gluteus maximus work out

As if walking 300 miles in the Mall of America Thursday and Friday wasn't enough for my body this weekend, I willingly pushed myself to the limit and endured 12 matches of volleyball Saturday and Sunday as well. Our team of 6 got cut to 5 yesterday when one of the ladies had to work, only 1 or 2 of whom actually have real volleyball experience...myself NOT included. Bruised arms and knees and an entire aching body aside, I had a pretty good time. Maybe in 2 more years when this happens again our team will be more competitive. We won 3 of 12 matches (I think) but it would have been great to win a few more!

Congratulations to the 1997-1998 and the 2003 teams for making it to the championship. It was a fun few matches to watch. Let me tell ya... they have their "stuff" in order ;)

Oh, and I'm sure my mom will have some great shots of us on her blog shortly... or maybe not so great ;) Enjoy!

March 23, 1983

Many, many years ago this little creature was born that changed my life forever... little to my knowledge at the time...

Casey is truly one of a kind and I enjoy almost every minute we're together.  ;)

This blog post not only serves to wish her the biggest, bestest birthday EVER (because apparently life is pretty much over at 30 and she only has another couple years to enjoy...so she has told me herself) but also to remind her that I will forever be her older and much wiser sister. Forever!

Happy Birthday to my first little sis ;)

daily dose of Drew baby

... just because :)



photo courtesy of Pigg



All of these photos were taken or modified using the instagram application on the iPhone. One of my favorite applications, hands down.

March 21, 1986

This day many years ago my Dad was hoping for a boy. Little did he know how close he actually got. (; Here are some photos I found on my camera. Apparently I can't leave it unattended...

Happy Birthday to my little sis ;)

Mama said knock you out!

My favorite daily reading (dooce) featured this video and after showing Dave and the kids, we're now running around the house singing "MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT!"

Enjoy!

Your Wii Fit age is...

... let's not even go there...

The last 2 weeks I've been trying to keep up with resolution/goal/ambition #4, and #4 wasn't even supposed to happen. I'm not sure what's come over me! Whatever it is, it's a good thing because the kids are all doing Wii Fit rather than watching cartoons in the morning. I love it!

Here are the girls practicing their yoga stances... the first photo shows the mini Courtney stance. Casey claims they look just like me here.  :)

left - Austyn; right - Lia

stumped by technology

I have spent the last few days without my laptop. The same laptop I use for work. Also the same laptop Tayt stepped on only hours after I purchased it and broke the screen. Yes, it was my fault for placing it on the ground (ever so gently) next to the rocking chair ... BUT we were all eating and I didn't think he would get over there so fast and ... fine. It's my fault. ANYWAY. I've only slightly been missing being on the Internet and/or working for the last 3 days. We do also have an ancient desktop computer but I would rather suffer without checking my email than to risk smashing the ancient computer to PIECES.

Sooo... I'm not as savvy with computers as I ever want to be so I paid young lad (one who made me feel old and slow and mentally challenged about computers, and I really know how to do a lot with my computer... honest) a reasonable amount of money to remove a virus from the laptop. And when I find anyone who infects computers with viruses, they are going to suffer a long sentence wherein I put them in a room with all my children alone for a couple hours until he/she screams 'UNCLE' and pinkie swears never to do it again. Ever. Darn you people!

And with that said... I'm back and with plenty to share but for now ... I need to step away from the computer again before Dave realizes I'm not working and he's rocking a screaming baby while I do that... not work. I love you, Dave!

Miss Chubberkins

I think the one and only reason Dave and I have so many children is because they grow up so fast. Time just doesn't stand still and I really try to remember that and forget the not-so-great moments when my 2-year-old puts a matchbox car in my crack while we're doing yoga in the morning. Keepin' it real.

Humbling.

This little chubby cheeked, gummy smiling girl gets me every time with that smile. I immediately pick her up and chew on those jowls. They're addictive. I can't get enough. So consider this fair warning for the future when my children are grown... someone's child(ren) will need to fill this void for me and I will find you!

3 months fat ;)



a taste of spring

The beginning of every year is a great time for resolutions and goals. Lucky for me, our religion has what I like to think of as a checkpoint (among many more important things). A time in the year where I get a chance to remind myself of my resolutions, goals, and ambitions. 

Yesterday was a beautiful day and I couldn't keep the kids in the house. Even Nash wanted to go out all day! I caught him on the deck with his coat, hat, and a pair of over sized galoshes...but no pants.

In keeping up with my 4th goal, I decided to take the camera out and run around with the kids for a bit. And run I did... for about 50 yards. Then I died. Not really but I had to stop for awhile and catch my breath. Running in snow at my age ;) is NOT easy!

brings back memories... Austyn is upset... her turn to pull Nash was over...



battle of wills

Since Nash's birth I always had this preconceived notion that maybe, possibly God would give me a quiet one... maybe. God please. A quiet one. Little did I know this was actually a life long test of my patience, sanity, and will... among many other character flaws. Yesterday proved to be one of the largest battle of wills I have ever gone through to date. This child, who is not yet 2, has given me a run for my money. No lie. He was determined to make all heads turn and stare in awe in church yesterday. To the untrained ear one might have thought I was tearing his insides out with my bare hands, or maybe I was breaking all the bones in his body, or that I had made him sit. In church. HOW DARE I!? Yes. It was indeed the latter. I attempted to make my 2-year-old Beast sit. On his tush. In church. I done it. I confess.

While Sundays before this have also been quite a challenge, nothing prepared me for what happened yesterday. I always know attending church with Dave while he has to read is going to be a test of my patience but yesterday started immediately upon walking into church and only escalated from there. And Nash was going to win. Or so he thought.

Taking a quick breather in this story because even typing it now makes me a little... hot...

Okay... Nash quit the Sippy cold turkey a couple weeks back. This Sippy is usually our go-to-man in church on Sundays. But what might have been something to keep me from running out of church to get away from his screaming previously ... is now no longer... R.I.P. Sippy. So the only thing to keep Nash quiet yesterday during church was... wait, I couldn't figure it out because it was his little joke on Mom... NOTHING WILL KEEP ME QUIET. Ha Ha. Funny. MY Mommmm is reading this laughing saying "Pay back! PAY BACK!!!" I'm not laughing... ANYWAY!

Church was about to start. Screaming began. One adolescent actually turned around to give me a dirty look... I may or may not have had some non-Catholic thoughts run through my head for a second, butttt...I'll work on that! Nash, Drew, and I exited to the back. Father asked if he should take him up front with him. I laughed. Father asked again. I said... "He. Will. Scream." Not kidding. Like... the entire time, he will scream. Father began Mass. I attempted to make Nash sit while holding Drew. Screaming. The congregation sang. More screaming. I sat and attempted to make him sit next to me. Mean Mom. Screaming. LOUD SCREAMING. Thrashing. Dying. Yes, he thought he was dying. I quite honestly don't remember if Dave actually read in church yesterday but he came and saved Drew. And then, THEN stuff went down. Then it was serious business. The Beast thought I would stand with him. No sir. He was going to sit in church and if he didn't already know, yesterday was going to be the day he learned who the boss was!

It was a rough battle and I can't say I thought we were both going to make it out alive. At one point Dave sent Lia to the back to tell me it was just too loud... I'll spare you the gory details but it ended in the two of us sitting on the bathroom floor... in a daze. In a stupor. Staring off into the unknown. After what felt like hours, we came out of the bathroom in one piece, sat in the back of church quietly, and at that moment I knew I had defeated...The Beast.

Now everyone has to say a prayer every day of this week that Sunday will be THE best Sunday we've ever had because BY GOD I'm not sure I can do that again. After we got home, Dave and I agreed Nash's episode in church was not unlike Austyn recovering from general anesthetic a few years ago (aka... a drug addicts withdrawal). I hope never to see thrashing and screaming like that again in my lifetime!

bipolar

Today has been quite crazy. While it's probably a usual day with Mallory's children and my children all here at the same time, it felt a little ... on the edge. At one point during the day, I locked myself in the bathroom to shower and there may or may not have been a lot of screaming outside the door. Thank you Mom for handling whatever was going on. I came out of the bathroom to find Luke in his usual spot. The bottom step. He frequents this step a lot while he is visiting. And "a lot" is a bit of an understatement.

There must be some sort of sick humor in all children, but I remember doing this same thing to my sisters when I was younger ... one child in time-out, another child just out of arm's reach telling the "naughty" child how "naughty" they were. Yes. As you can imagine, this is beyond helpful for a mother. After shooing everyone away from Luke, Tayt informed me of the following...


Mom: You better leave Luke alone or I'm going to let him kick your butt.

Tayt: HE can't kick my butt.

Mom: I'll LET him!

Tayt: I will bring. him. down.
(emphasis on dddoooowwwwnnnn)


Raising boys... I got nothin'...

change

“Things do not change; we change.”
~Henry David Thoreau