A 10K While Pregnant: Torture or Triumph?

The jury's still out on that one...

 

I made a goal at the beginning of this pregnancy to be more active.  Mike and I were running about 3 times per week last summer and running became a fun part of our life.  We were run/walking about once per week in the first weeks of my pregnancy. BUUUUUUUUUUT, then my sciatic nerve started having issues.  I'll be honest here people:  I kinda gave up on being active around 18 weeks along.  And it shows.  Yeesh- I am lots larger this pregnancy than I have been with the last two, so there will be lots of morning walks and healthy eating and declarations of self-love (to overcome the body hate...) after this little boy is born.  Anyway, I'm getting WAY off topic. 

 

Mike and I signed up to run a 10K on Saint Patrick's day in Bozeman!  And I am proud of myself for finishing at 30 weeks pregnant.  It was hard. I was out of shape. My pelvis thought it was going to break in half,  my lower back was not happy with me afterward, and my sciatic nerve kept making my butt go numb,  but I FINISHED, goshdarnit. 

We dressed up. We were totally
the hottest pregnant ladies there.

 

My adorable friend Leslie is pregnant with her first and wanted to "waddle" it with me.  She was about 17 weeks at the time, I think, so I was really the only one wadding.  We had tons of fun chatting the whole way and talking about pregnancy and birth and all those girl things.  The funniest part was that all the 1/2 Marathon people started passing us and everyone kept telling us "Keep it up, Ladies!"  or "Great job, girls!"  and we couldn't really figure out why.... But then Leslie says "Do you think they know we're pregnant?"  At which point I realized how TERRIBLY I was waddling from the pelvic pain.  I laughed that it was so obvious from behind.  Leslie did not look pregnant IN THE LEAST, but she was so sweet and walked the whole way with me. 

This year I was 8 people away from finishing dead last in the 10K.  Like I said:  Finishing was the only goal, and I did it. 

 

2013 official time- 1:50:38

At the starting line. 
I wore Mike's shirt from 2012

We did the same race last year and it was important to Mike to run it again.  He wanted to see if he could improve, and he did!  Even if it was only a bit.  I was smaller last year, and I could wear my own shirt, too. 

 Run to the Pub 2012

2012 official time for Wendy- 1:00:47.  Hopefully I can beat this time in 2014!! 

 

2013 for Mike 1:02:34

2012 for Mike 1:07:42

 

The Big Man

Mike's birthday was also in February, so here's his 3 month late update as well:

 

I made him Boston Cream Cupcakes this year. 
OHMYHOLYDELICIOUSNESS. 
They are just yellow cake cupcakes with vanilla pudding
 in the middle of them and chocolate ganache on top. 
Go make them. Right now.  You won't be sad.

 

 

-He totally loves me and thinks I'm awesome.  Which, let's face it, I am.  And humble.

 

-He is still working as a contract analyst/finance guy/accountant for the coal mine here in MT.  Ever the nomads, we are probably not going to be here forever, but it's good for now.

 

-He is studying like a crazy man for his CPA exams. (Interesting fact:  80% of people taking the Bar Exam pass their first time taking it.  Only 50% of 1st time takers pass the CPA.   This could be skewed because the CPA has 4 separate exams instead of just one.  But I thought it was a little crazy.   Here's hoping Mike is one of the 50%!)

 

-My kids use him as a jungle gym every day.  He always asks, "Why is it that ANY time I'm home, whether I'm sitting or standing, the kids just want to climb all over me?"  I think it's because Mom yells at them to get off?  Just a theory....

 

-We sure like him around these parts.  He's just a good man and a good father and a hard worker.  And really, can  you ask for more than that?  I lucked out.

 

 

I Dreamed a Dream 7 Years Ago

Our anniversary this year fell on a day when I was stranded in Twin Falls, Idaho at my brother's house.  I had planned on driving to Cali over Donner Pass that day, but the weather was crappy, so I just hung out with Ry and his fam.  Not that they're not AWESOME, but it wasn't the most fun I've ever had on my anniversary.....  I hate not celebrating on the ACTUAL day.  Who's with me on this?  Am I weird?  Mike thinks I'm weird and says we can celebrate any time, but I prefer the "day of" for sure. 

Luckily, Mike and I were able to celebrate our 7th Anniversary a few days after Christmas in California.  We went to see Les Miserables in the theater and then had a yummy dinner at Chevy's. Lemmetellya, you guys:  I just really like my husband.  He is good for me in so many ways- spanning from challenging to blissful.

SO:  Here's a few things about our Anniversary date:

Number 1:

I know some of you have probably married super sensitive men who are way in touch with their emotions, but that's..... not the case with me..... at all. When I almost broke up with him before we got married? NOPE.  Our wedding? Nothing.  Our sealing?  No emotions, my friends.  He is kiiiiiiind of a rock.

 I have seen Michael show emotion on a few, rare (and wonderful) occasions.  He got choked up while giving our oldest her baby blessing.  He immediately concluded the blessing and said amen.  The next time I saw him tear up was 2 years later- about ten minutes after our lil man was born.  I started to breast feed Nolan and Mike got misty eyed.  It was one of those "wow" moment's as a wife and mother. 

BUT, during Les Miserables Mike cried about 3 times.  He has loved the music of the play for years, so we were both really excited to see the movie.  When Fantine died and she has the "Cosette" flashback/hallucination scene, I looked over to see him wiping away tears.  I totally started laughing!  How insensitive of me, I know.  But I was so shocked.  He said that seeing a little blond girl and thinking of our cute little blond and being a dad and all.... he was just overcome. 
He also cried during the Empty Chairs song, then AGAIN during the final  Jean Valjean death scene. 
I loved every minute of it.  Sometimes I tell him his heart is made of stone (because I cry -literally- at everything), but that night I was sure that there's an emotional guy hidden within the man I married.  Loved it!

Number 2:
There was a funny lady at Chevy's who kept smiling at me across the dining room.  Then, she followed me in to the bathroom.  But as we were both washing our hands she turns to me and says "Oh, you are so cute!  I love your belly!  How far along are you?"  
"Uhhh, I'm actually only half way, but it's my third, so I'm showing early." (Insert uncomfortable laugh and glance at creepy lady).
"OH! That is so funny!  My husband and I have three kids as well!  Except they are really old.  We are really old!  But, you're not.  You're young. How old are you?"
(Insert more uncomfortable laughing and glancing at the door) "Oh, um.. I'm 30, actually....... well... thanks!" 
And then I quickly left the restroom and asked for to-go boxes.
I know this lady was simply trying to be nice and not trying to freak me out, but the whole exchange was a little odd.  It's not that I feel old at 30 years, but isn't it a teensy bit impolite to ask a complete stranger in a bathroom their age?  Not to mention that at that point I was only 18 weeks (I lied when I said I was half way.... sort-of... I rounded up) and I was pretty sure I just looked fat, not pregnant.  She totally ruined that false fantasy for me, so maybe I was bitter? 

Number 3:
My husband may not be a big-romantic-gesture kind of guy, but he knows how to spoil me and make me feel loved.  I need to recognize all the little things he does more instead of waiting for the overt and obvious declarations of love. 

So here's to the past 7 and many more fabulous decades to come.  The past year has been jam packed with blessings, healing, love, and happiness.  It's a good life. 

November! 2012! Only 13 days late!

I'm so happy that things are AAAAAAlmost caught up, aren't you?? 

November was fun and relaxing and went WAY TOO FAST. 

 Seriously, though, I feel like it wasn't even here. 

Nothing super exciting happened in November, to be honest. 

We made our Christmas lists.....


When I asked her what she had done to be good she said, "I've done all my chores every day!"
To which I replied, "Uhhhh.... no you haven't."  So together we came up with a plan to make
a chore chart and fill it in 'til Christmas.  Being the johnny-on-the-spot mommy that I am, I still
haven't printed her chore chart.   So hopefully Santa overlooks this mommyfail and still buys her some stuff for Christmas.  I think she's safe.




The only response I could get out of him when I asked what he had done to be good was
"I take good baffs mom! I take baffs!"



Our Thanksgiving this year was so much fun.  My mom and dad (Grammy and Papa Lay) came to visit and spend the holiday with us and it was wonderful.  They brought us a hutterite turkey, we mashed potatoes and had cranberry sauce until we couldn't eat any more. 

It was awesome.

I love big gatherings with siblings and cousins and chaos, but it's also really special to spend one on one time with my parents and let them spend one on one time with my kiddos. 

My dad also brought his rifles and took Mike out hunting.

  Lest you think I forced my Montana ways on to my Californian husband, I'll have you know: it was HIS idea.  Granted, I think he has grown fonder of the idea since moving here and talking to co-workers and neighbors, but I would have loved him just the same if he didn't want to hunt. 

I think he had fun tromping around the mine property with my dad.  They said they didn't see any Elk on the first or second day, but saw a few deer the first day (one of which Mike shot...) and lots of deer the second day.  Mike said he'll be more patient next time and wait for one with antlers maybe. 

But, honestly, we kinda just wanted meat in our freezer and a doe gave us that as well as a buck could have.  Anyway, I'm not sure he's a die hard hunter yet, but he had fun, and I think he'll do it again.  

No, I don't know what Nolan is doing.... 
And yes, our garage is so messy. 
But see that freezer in the background?  It's full.  Score.

So, now that I'm caught up, hopefully I'll keep up with things.  We can always hope!

June

Playing catch-up because I'm a slacker!  Well, not a slacker.... I just am totally over blogging for some odd reason.  BUT, I need to write all our little happenings down because I'll forget if I don't.  My kids are growing so fast and I have the worlds WORST memory.  I always tell myself I'll remember, but when I try to think back on past experiences things are always fuzzy unless I write them down. It's for posterity, right? 

On June 9th we took a trip to Helena to see the fambam and run the Governor's Cup.   MIke and I ran the  10K, and it was SO much harder than the 10K we ran in March.  The course had WAY more hills, so both Mike and I ended up with about the same time as our last race, even though we were in better shape :).  We left the kids with my parents and ran the 10K in the morning, then met up with them and ran the 5K with the stroller, 2 kiddos, and my dad.

Not to get TOO sappy, but it was pretty awesome to run the 5K.  My dad and I first ran the Governor's Cup in June of 1989 and we didn't miss a year until after I left for college (I think 2003 was the first time I missed becase I was in Mexico).  I even ran it with him the morning after my senior all night graduation party! It was great to be able to share the experience with my kids and my dad and my husband this year.  CJ ran the first mile or so, then was honestly a bit of a stink pot for the rest of the race.  She curled up in the stroller and complained about being cold :).  Nolan, however, could not have been cuter.  "I winning!" he would say as he ran and ran and ran.  He probably ran nearly 2 miles of the 3.2 mile race.  It was SO fun to see him out there enjoying it, not to mention the fact that I love my hometown and running through the streets made me happy.

We've been trying really hard to stay active lately, so I bought a second-hand bike trailer and we've been LOVIN' it.  I love the exercise, and if I can keep the kids from fighting while they're in it it's even better!  Those two..... I hope eventually they're friends.  The other day Cecily says to me "Mom, I think I don't like Nolan anymore.  We should maybe give him away."  Like he's a rascally puppy or something.  Sheesh.

We signed CJ up for swimming lessons again this summer!  There were 8 classes per session, and she ended up doing 2 sessions.  The first 7 days were spent trying to coax her in to putting her face in the water and trying to keep her from flailing and screaming and freaking out if someone tried to take her away from the side ledge.  Yeah- it was awesomely horrific. I even took her to the pool later in the day to try to work with her alone and it was a disaster. I'm pretty sure everyone in the pool that day thought I was either a bad mom who didn't discipline her kid, or I was trying to drown the poor child.  My girl has some lungs on her, and she's not afriad to use 'em.  On day 8, the head lifeguard/pool coordinator/boss lady spent some time with her one on one.  By the end of that day she was away from the side AND putting her face in.  I guess it's all about the right teacher, huh? The next 8 classes went pretty well, although she was still afraid.  I'm signing her up for fall lessons so that she doesn't lose any of the courage she's started to find.

Nolan and I did a "Mommy and Me" class, which he completely LOVED.  It was fun to have time alone with him as well.  He loved jumping off the side in to my arms the most. 

At the end of June my good friend Erin got married to the love of her life, Jake.  It was such a fun wedding! Erin and Jake are an awesome couple.  We were so happy to celebrate with them.  The wedding was at the base of the Bridger mountain range in Montana, and it was just incredible, and the perfect setting for a wedding.  Mike and I both commented on how much we love Bozeman.  If we stay in Montana after this coal mining adventure, that is probably where we'd want to be. We'll see! Erin looked stunning, and it is always fun to see all my BSC girls.  They're awesome.  PLUS, my amazing mom and dad took the kids for us so that Mike and I could have a little get-away for a night.  Niiiiiiiiice.

Near the end of June Colstrip has a big..... festival?  Party?  Community event?  They call it "Colstrip Days" and they have a parade where they throw candy and people make useless floats advertising local businesses.  They have a big farmers market thing in the biggest city park and there are a billion booths with food, crafts, more food, local art, and all the fresh squeezed lemonade a girl could ask for.  Delish! Not to mention the Amish come and sell fresh donuts.....YUM! That is also when the town does local fireworks, since most people leave town for the 4th of July. 

AND, last but not least:  Pinterest is good for something besides bad recipes and time wasting!  We made bookshelves for the playroom!  I rotate out all our books because there's not enough room on those 4  shelves for everything we have.  But the kids are reading more, so mission accomplished.

Stay tuned for July.  Hopefully I'll get around to it within the next few months! :)

I so funny...

First Race Of The Summer

Just before we loaded up the bus to go freeze at the starting line!

Mike and I ran a 10K on St. Patrick's day!

  It was in Bozeman, MT and it was SO COOL.  Everyone got a free pint of beer at the end of the race, which would have been amazing if only we drank beer.  We don't, so it was a teeny bit anticlimactic. 

 I'm kidding!  It was still fun!  

Not to mention we ate lunch with my good friends Erin and Leslie afterward, so there was no beer necessary for a good time. 

We want to run as many races as we can this summer and whip our booty's in to shape.

There's something so awesome about races! I hate training, but the races make it all worth it.  I don't know why, but running with other people around to challenge you and push you is 100X the excitement. 

I ended up with a time of 1:00:47and Mike was just behind me with 1:07:42.  I really wished I could have made it in before the 1 hour mark, but I stopped for a port-o-potty break at about mile 2, so I lost a few minutes.  Next time, I guess!

Holy Crap, Mike is OLD!!

Mike had a birthday! 

And just FYI- he's not old at all. He's really, really young.  I just like to tease him because he's a whole year and a half older than I will ever be. 

Here's all the sad, poorly lit photos.  I'm still in a bit of a photo funk. They all take place at the same crappy dining-room-table-full-of-love, and they are all from the same vantage point. 

It's ok.  I forgive myself :) 

Salsa stuffed pork chops and corn on the cob, as per the birthday boy's request. 

Delish, if I do say so myself. 

Opening presents!!  Wahoo! 

Cecily picked out a frisbee for her dad.  Priceless.

The kids "helping" dad open all the presents.  Wahoo! 

Here's Mikes FANTASTIC cake. Homemade lemon cake with strawberry butter cream frosting.  Honestly the best frosting I've ever made/ate in my life  No, really, it was amazing.  I used this recipe and although it took 5 hours (for real), the time was worth the yumminess, not to mention the many compliments from birthday man.  I wish I could have used raspberries, but they were like, $8.46 for a 1oz package practically, so I passed.  Strawberries were on sale and they substituted just fine.  Delicious, my friends.  You should try it if you have 5 hours to spare some time.  Or if you have a birthday coming up. 

I couldn't find my 9 inch round pans, so he got his own mini 5 inch round cake and the kids got cupcakes.  It worked out just fabulously.   Leftover cupcakes were taken to work the next day and I didn't even have to eat them all and gain 6 pounds!  Nice!

Expect the Unexpected

The past week has been probably the most stressful/wonderful week of my life.  No, seriously.  Not kidding.  Just to give you a quick run-down: 

1. Mike has been looking for a different job for about 2 months.  The traveling has been extremely hard on our family, not to mention Mike's boss.... (how shall I put this?) ... is awful and horrible and has been since the first day.  He informed Mike last month that he has been "building his case" to let Mike go since February. Whaaaaaaaa????????? Yeah, thanks Jerk, that really makes me want to work hard.

2. Last Wednesday (the 10th) Mike's boss called and told him that they were "releasing him from training" and he needed to turn in his computer, etc. on friday the 12th. 

3. At this point I freaked out.  2nd layoff in 14 months.  What's a girl to do besides freak out?

4. On Friday the 12th, we went as a family to meet Mike's boss and drop off  his stuff.  I wanted the retard to see who he was screwing over.  Two sweet babies, that's who (ya jerk!). Ok, so maybe I'm a little bitter..............?

5. Friday afternoon Mike got a call.  "The call that changed it all," so to speak.  It was from a mine in Colstrip, MT (see it up on the south-east corner of the map up there?).  They were offering him a job for 10K more than he was making in Billings.  WOOOOOOOOT!

6. We spent the weekend going to the temple, praying, and crying.  Well, the crying was mostly me, I'll admit.  The truth is, while I was excited about making more money, we just bought a house and I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to try to sell already.  Not to mention the fact that Colstrip is 2 hours further away from my family in Helena and Utah, and it's in the middle of nowhere montana and it's TINY.  Tiny actually doesn't begin to describe it.  As of the 2010 census, it was 2200 people.  Twenty-two.  Hundred.  Not thousand.  Hundred.  Mike had more people in his highschool. 

7.  Ultimately, we are deciding to rent our house out and move to Colstrip.  It still sounds weird in my head that we're actually doing it, but it's the right thing.  Baaaaaahhhh!  This is our 3rd move in 9 months.  What the crazy???? 

We'll keep you posted.

Five whole years!

On December 17th (yes, I realize I'm nearly a month late on this) Mike and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary. 

Honestly, the celebration was a little lack-luster. 

With all the moving and christmas and crazy we decided not to get too fancy.

 But, that's not a reflection on our marriage.  Marriage is still fabulous.

  I love him a lot and he loves me a lot.  We struggle through little ups and downs and stressful situations, but always seem to come through it stronger and more united. 

Anywhoo.... this year for our anniversary we decided to go to dinner and a movie.  We put the kiddos in bed early and headed off  to see Narnia. When we got there, however, the two teenage girls running the theater in Helena said that the show had been cancelled because the movie had.....broken.

  Huh? 

 While it was a little (ok, a lot) annoying, we decided not to let it spoil our night out. So, instead we went to Applebees and shared a blondie- Mike's favorite.  A few weeks later we did get to go back and see Narnia.  Go see it- it's good. 

Yay for 5 years and 2 kids and a little bit-o-crazy thrown in the mix. 

Feeling very blessed.

Michael the Masters Man

On December 10, 2010 I watched Michael walk across the stage at Weber State University and recieve his Masters in Business Administration. 

 He is a smarty pants and walked away with an extremely high GPA, but they don't give honors for GPAs (which I didn't know) because getting your Master's degree is honor enough I guess. 

Please excuse the incredibly horrible picture of the hooding ceremony.  I was bawling and trying to wrestle Nolan while taking them.  My camera was on automatic settings and it shows :)  

Mike's grandparents were able to make the drive up and be there to support him and cheer for his accomplishment.  They are two of the cutest grandparents ever.  

Afterward we had a luncheon at PF Changs because our house was full of boxes and there was no way I could have hosted a lunch the day before we moved.  I got no pictures..... oops. 

SO proud of him! 

June Stuff

Other than that one sucky day (June 8th) it's been a pretty good month so far.

Here's the evidence:

And you thought your toddler unrolling the toilet paper was bad?  Try a roll of butcher paper.

That's my Cecily:  She's a "go big or go home" kind of girl.  

Obviously, I wasn't too mad (I was happy enough to snap a picture). 

Did I mention that Mike is the cutest dad ever?  Oh, well- he is. 

Cecily LOVES helping us cook, and she made Mike put on an apron the other day.  Loved it.

Grandma Vincent came to visit with Sean and Eric (Mike's brothers) last week.  It's been SO fun to see them and hang out. 

This pic was funny because Nolan was singing and making funny noises while trying to eat Grandma's face.... Oh, I mean giving Grandma kisses  :)

Nolan measured off the charts for height at the doctors office this visit.  Yep, that's OVER the 100th percentile.  He's only 50% for weight, but he's a pretty big kid.  The doc said we can give him cereal and veggies, since he sits up well if he's supported.  

Nolan thinks butternut squash is AWESOME! 

Big sis wanted to get in on the action.  She's darling with him.

These are my two cuties before church today.  They make my days happier.  Love them. 

I always told mike when we were dating that he looked the hottest when he was dressed up in church clothes. 

Can you say future heartbreaker, or what? 

(Hopefully by then the tie won't be clip on.....)

Boo. Hiss. Cry.

Hopefully my husband won't kill me for posting about this.

That's what happens when I have feelings and an open forum to write about them....

 I spill my guts.

My cute hubbs got laid off yesterday. 

Boo. Hiss. Cry.

 It sounds cliche' to say this, but it really was through no fault of his own.

He is SUCH a hard worker and has worked his guts out for this stupid company for the last year and a half.

But, alas, he was the highest payed "staff auditor" of the 3 they have, and he got the very very short end of the 'bad economy' stick in my opinion.  I could go into more details, but suffice it to say, they suck suck suck.  

BIGTIME SUCK.

Moving on from that.......

This presents a few challenges (to say the least) for our little family.

I. am. terrified.

But, I know it will be ok eventually.

And more importantly, Mike is really optimistic and is confident in his skills.

(nun-chuck skills and all)

He has been my rock, smiling calmly while holding my crumbling little self.

He has more faith than I do sometimes.

We are staying in the Salt Lake area until Mike finishes his MBA/MAC and gets his CPA.

We will make it.

We will be fine.

Don't know how it will all work out quite yet, but it will.

My mom always says "it came to pass, it never came to stay"

But yesterday I cried.  I cleaned my house (shocker) and I cried a little more. 

Boo. Hiss. Cry.

Today is better. 

I have one little dude sleeping in the cradle next to me as I type, and a beautiful blonde in the other room coloring, so I can't cry for long. 

Who can cry with this guy around?

Oh, and PS- diet is SOOOOOOOO off, so don't be shocked if I weigh 300 pounds the next time you see me.  Comforting myself by drowning in a sea of empty calories seems like a good idea right now. 

 Pop, chocolate, more pop. 

Oh, the sweetness of life!  LOVE it.

.......for today......

PPS- Yes, I'm looking for a job

PPPS- I know completely that the Lord has a plan, will guide our paths, and is watching out for us and loves us so much.  I know completely.

Hugs to you and yours.

with 45 minutes left

Happy birthday, babe! 

There is only 45 minutes until it is not officially your birthday anymore, so I thought I'd show you a little blog love before the clock strikes 12.  Sure love your stinkin' guts! 

For your birthday, you get Nolan.  I was too exhausted after baking him for 9 months to bake you a cake, so you get a 2 litre of DrPepper and a son instead.

LOVE YOU!

Happy valentines day tomorrow, too!  and, as a symbol of my love and affection, you get.......

...wait for it.....

 NOLAN! 

Yessssssssssssss! 

All kidding aside, I really do love you tons and I'm glad you were born 29 years ago today!