5th Birthday

Morgan turned the big 5 last week. We had a fun time celebrating and welcoming him into this new age. He is ALL boy. Dirty, jumping, karate kicking, flipping, bike riding, super hero pretending, bad guy chasing, and hard working. The night of his birthday I reminisced about his younger years, rereading blog posts that made me long for those snuggly and cozy days with him as a baby. Days when Kendle was just starting school and the Morgster and I would spend quiet mornings together. How as he grew, he became my little shadow and loved to help me and follow me everywhere. Now as he is officially a "big boy", I appreciate the hugs, kisses, and time spent with just the two of us even more. I love this crazy, energetic, happy boy. He is so much fun and his dad and I are so proud of him. We feel so blessed that we are lucky enough to have him as a part of our family.

Lessons from the Glow Run

Last Friday night Kendle and I ran our first race together - a 3 mile night glow run along the Columbia River here in Pasco. Our Relay for Life team sponsored the event and it was a total blast. Everyone was decked out in all sorts of neon and glow in the dark accessories and clothing. Not only was the race itself super fun, but the fact that so many people came out to show their support for such a good cause was awesome. I'm so glad that we had such a great experience participating in our first race.  I usually don't consider myself a very competitive person, but there was something about running and raising money for cancer and thinking about those that we have lost and those that are dealing with cancer right now that just made me want to run my heart out for all of them.

I had a personal PR for a 3 mile run at 24:06. Pretty sure if I could have started sprinting right away I could have made it under 24 minutes. It was hard bobbing and weaving through all of the people at the very beginning, but eventually it cleared out and I was able to get a good pace going. Kendle and I started out side by side and she was actually cutting a nice path through people for me. She kept up a good pace with me for the first half mile or so. She had a great time of 30:52. She ran her little heart out, I was pretty darn proud of her. She came up with her own system to get through the race: sprint, run, jog, and then walk when she got tired. She loved it and wants to do another race soon.

 I have to share this experience from the race that has stayed with me and I think it really taught me something that I needed to see, feel, and learn. Kendle and I were keeping pace together really well at the beginning, I was sprinting pretty hard to get a good start going and she was keeping up. About a half mile in I could tell she was starting to struggle and slow down. I was tempted to slow down with her and give her a break, but I was trying to be this fast race runner lady and wanted to do my best, so I made the decision to go on ahead and leave her behind. As I put distance between us, I took a glance over my shoulder and I could see her slowing and getting swallowed up by the darkness and the sea of runners. It made me kind of sad. She was trying so hard and really wanted to finish with a good time.  My next thought was just to concentrate on running as fast as I could so I could be to the finish line in plenty of time to watch her finish and take a picture. I found a fast person in front of me to keep pace with and did my best to keep up with them the remainder of the race.  After crossing the finish line myself, I stood and cheered with others on the sidelines as the other racers came through. In the darkness it was hard to make out who was who, and I kept searching and searching for her face to appear among those nearing the end. When I spotted her face among a few other runners approaching the finish, I felt like I had just learned a profound lesson that I as a mother needed to learn at this exact moment in my life. It literally felt like I had a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. [At this point in our mother/daughter relationship, we don't always get along and very rarely see eye to eye. We disagree more often than not and I've been frustrated with the yucky road I felt our relationship was heading down. It is something that I have been trying to figure out how to make better and worrying that her and I would never have the type of bond that I wanted us to have. I would lay awake at night imagining her going off to college and leaving the nest without her feeling like she has a strong link to me. That's a terrifying feeling for a mom.]  But I realized as I saw her cross that finish line, that sometimes as a mother you have to just go on ahead and hope that what you are teaching your kids and the love you unconditionally give is good enough for them to make it across the finish line in their own time and in their own way. At some point in their life you have to loosen the reigns and just have hope. You can't always run with them and hold their hand and pull them along and slow yourself down with frustration and worry in the process. I recognized the fact that I need to lighten up on my feelings to control most everything in my life and take a lighter approach to our relationship. Don't force things.  I'm going to try my best not to be so hard on her. I already knew she was amazing and is capable of great things, but I'm not going to push so hard and not try and make her get where she needs to go, because she is already well on her way and will get there on her own. I read a great quote the other day that said something along the lines of "Don't be so worried about raising a great kid, that you forget you already have one."  I had the distinct and overwhelming feeling when I gave her a big congratulatory hug that everything is going to be ok with us. Not in my time which is usually now, now, now, but in time. It was kind of ironic, but I felt like that finish line represented the possibility of having a fresh start.



If I had my own Nike running poster, this is what it might say:

"That's me in that picture. I am 32.  Mom of four great kids. Wife to a hard working husband. Three years ago I never thought I'd be running. Never thought I'd love running. Never thought I'd call myself a runner. Now I'm looking forward to more races. And training for a half-marathon. Most days I have to be super mom. But when I'm running, I just concentrate on being super fast. Here I come."

Oh yeah, and that girl in the picture with me? She's a stud. An academic. Softball, soccer, and basketball player. And now I'll add runner to that list. Future doctor, writer, professional soccer player, President of the United States, mother, marathon runner -- whatever she wants to be.

Spring Happenings

I am still alive! It's been about a month and a half since my last post. We've had computer ups and downs and I haven't been able to blog. Riley bought me a laptop for mother's day so now I am good to go although we are still working on repairing our hard drive so we can transfer all of our important stuff to a new tower. But that's kind of boring I suppose so enough of that.

So much has been going on in the last month or so. Here's a rundown, beware of super long post:

Kendle's soccer team finished another soccer season and the icing on their cake was also winning the Spring tournament. These girls went undefeated in the fall as well and have really improved and become a "team". We now have this huge trophy sitting on our piano and I'm not quite sure yet what we're supposed to do with it. I'm thinking we should let all the girls take a turn keeping it at their houses.






Can't say enough good things about this group of girls. Riley does such a good job with them and even some of the girls who played for the first time this year have really come along. It's been so much fun to watch them.

We've also been full throttle into softball season. Because the league has so many teams, Kendle's age group (10u) has been playing mostly late night games starting at 7:30 or so. That means on most of those nights we don't get done until after 9:00, and some of the games haven't been finished because the field's lights which are on timers have shut off. It has been neat to see them play under the lights at night though and it hasn't been too cold, just hard when we are taking all the kids with us because that is way past their bed time. Kendle's favorite position is catcher, but she also plays shortstop a lot. I can see her improvement since last season and she has really enjoyed her team and coach this season. So far they have only lost one game and usually outhit the other teams. This is her first year where they are hitting off of actual fastpitch pitching instead of coach pitch, so it took some getting used to but she has come through for her team and made some pretty clutch hits when they needed them. They only have a few games left and then will play an end of season tournament for their division championship.




What else is going on with Miss Kendle? I was able to attend one of her field trips to Sacajawea State Park a few weeks ago and that was pretty fun since I had never been there before. It was a very pretty park and they had a great little visitors center. They also went to the Whitman Mission in Walla Walla last week. She's been practicing for her piano recital that was on Monday night (we will be glad to not have to hear those songs for a while) and has been working on her audition for their school talent show next week - she's going to do a hula hooping routine and we're still working out the kinks. She's also been singing in their school's performance choir and the spring concert is next week. And let's not forget soccer academy for club soccer every Friday and I talked her into running in our Relay for Life's 5k run next week. Busy, busy! They've had lots of testing going on at school as well and I think she is looking forward to summer and laying low for a while if that's possible.

Morgan's life as a 4 1/2 year old is pretty sweet. He loves going to preschool, playing with his friends, jumping and doing flips on the trampoline, digging in the dirt, pretending he's farming, and playing baseball. He just missed the birthday cutoff for playing tee-ball this year, I was pretty bummed because he is so good. That kid can hit and throw like nobody's business and he definitely could use an outlet for all of his energy. I think we are going to get him into some summer soccer and then he will be able to play real soccer in the fall. We're pretty excited to watch him play, he is such a natural -- as long as he can keep his cry baby tendancies to a minimum I think he'll love it. Ha! He loves to ask questions and MUST know the real answer. He probably asks me at least 1000 questions a day and then some. We all get annoyed watching movies with him because he talks through the whole thing and wants to know why, why, why?????? He is still a hard little worker and helped us remove a ton of rocks last weekend from our backyard. He never complains, just tells you when he's tired and needs a little break. He amazes me with his little mind and his ability to entertain himself and play all day long just singing, talking, and imagining.  He could dig in the dirt all day long. No wonder his favorite movie right now is Holes. He starts swim lessons the day before his birthday and is stoked for that. He's pretty much the coolest little dude and everything I hoped my little boy would be like someday.

Cooper and Kale at 2 1/2 are........................well....................Cooper and Kale. Saying they are busy doesn't even begin to sum it up. They pretty much make the word busy look lazy. They are extremely fast, fearless, and smart which is a deadly combination. My goal every day is just to make sure no one ends up permanently maimed and that we all survive to live another day. My house has seriously taken a beating the last few months from all of their "adventures", but at the end of the day I love them still and am thankful for the entertainment and joy they bring to my life even if I don't always appreciate it in the moment. It is definitely a challenge to try and stay one step ahead of them at all times.  I have to be equal parts Sherlock Holmes, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, and Mary Poppins to even remotely keep up with them. On some of the warmer days we've been having, they've had a blast running through the sprinkler and playing on the trampoline with the sprinkler, but without fail - one of them will end up getting the hose and chasing the other one around spraying him right in the face and making him cry. They are both starting to talk more and turning into little jabber boxes. It cracks us up to hear them say new phrases like "Hey mom", "Here you go", "No Thank You" (which they try and say to get out of anything they don't want to do and it really is cute) or their personal favorite when someone has hurt their feelings "MEAN!", which they say when they are feeling slightly insulted or ripped off and is usually accompanied by a good finger pointing at the one to blame. They've also picked up a few not very good things like "idiot" and "shut up", that their older siblings get in trouble for every time they say them. Why do they always pick those words up so easily but not the ones like cup, shoe, or whatever else is useful? (Long inward sigh.........................)

Here are a few of their individual character traits at this age:


Cooper:
Ring Leader
Mischievious glimmer in his eyes
Mastermind
Blond hair fluffy and spiky like a baby chick
Wants to do it himself
Climber
Jumper
Contagious laugh
Forgives easily
Little Morgan Junior
Jokester
Plays the hardest and usually the first to fall asleep
Mostly easy going

Kale:
Slight flare for the dramatic
Can be picky
Cuddler and hugger
Likes to pick out his own clothes
Usually sleeps in longer in the morning
Likes to blame everything on Cooper
Happy crinkly eyes and smile
Holds grudges a little longer
Almost always says thank you
Kendle junior
Funny
Is a big tease

Their current favorite movies that they request over and over again are Fantastic Mr. Fox (or Fox to them), Coraline, and Home Alone. Please don't judge me.

Riley finished up high school soccer at the beginning of May. They had a pretty lackluster season due to some injuries and other circumstances, but managed to end on a high note by beating Kamiakin for their last home game that was senior night. Pretty discouraging after placing 4th at state last year, but that's how it goes sometimes. His job with Sprague keeps him hopping this time of year and he was the top salesman in his area last month and got some good recognition at their last corporate meeting he attended. He's gotten a couple of big contracts he's been working hard for and picked up a few more in their golf tournament he played in a few weeks ago. No better place to make business deals than on a golf course right? Ha. He is a hard working guy and always thinking about ways to improve and do better at his job. He has enjoyed coaching Kendle's age group in the new soccer academy program they started this year and will be their club coach for this next season. It's often a challenge for him to walk the line between dad/coach at practice and it can be frustrating for him if Kendle doesn't listen, but I think he handles it a lot better than I could. He's been doing lot's of yard work and other chores that I throw at him in his spare time.


I feel like I've been on the go every day for the last two months, but it sure does make the time go by fast and I know that soon it will be summer. I enjoy watching the games and activities our kids are involved in and I feel blessed that we are able to make it all work at this stage in our lives even when it feels crazy, there is usually still a little fun mixed into the bunch. I think I will admit I'm eating my words and have fallen in love with running. I've been running by the river trails when I get the time and I love it. Howard Amon park's trail is my favorite and especially in the morning it is beautiful and makes my runs go by so fast. It feels good to take the time for myself and have some quiet to think, reflect, pray, mull over problems, and find peace.  After finishing a big run Monday morning I got kind of emotional thinking about what is possible if you just make up your mind to do something. It has been such a good stress reliever on top of the physical benefits of getting in better shape. I've had a few people ask me if I'm training for anything, and although there are a few races I want to try and do in the coming months I'm mostly just training for a better life and well being.  On another note, I've been putting together plans, getting ideas for our yard,  picking out paint colors, and cleaning out closets and dejunking in preparation for some major house/yard work we are about to embark on in the next few weeks. I hope I can remember to try and take lots of before/after pictures and not get discouraged if things don't get done as quickly as I'd like.

Some things on our list:
Outside:
-Getting rid of the dirt (aka Morgan's farm) on the side of our house and planting grass. If we're feeling generous we might leave a small boxed in sandbox for the boys.
-Getting rid of the pea gravel in the firepit area, planting grass there as well, and making a paver stone surround for the firepit itself
-Hanging up new outdoor lights in the backyard
-Sanding and restaining our picnic table
-Making a fountain for the front and back yard
-Planting some more decorative plants in the back yard
-Touch up the trim and repaint the front door

Inside:
-Painting kitchen cabinets
-Refinishing counter tops
-Adding beadboard and trim to kitchen island
-Repainting all the trim and doors
-New kitchen faucet
-Fixing holes, dents, and other damage on the walls
-New paint for all walls
-Fix cracks in the ceiling
-Address carpet issues in hallway and bedrooms
-Spruce up bathrooms with new paint and hardware
-Add more shelves/storage to laundry room
-Improve functionality of our bedroom closet

Other:
-Organize garage by adding more shelving, food storage area, and place to hang or store bikes.

I will be lucky if we even get half of that  a quarter of that list accomplished, but I'm aiming high! :) Other than that we are making some fun summer plans, counting down the days until school is out, planning a super fun birthday party for the Morgster, and cramming in as many night time smores sessions as we can on windless nights.

Catching Up

I posted a while ago about how our computer was on the long list of things the twins have destroyed. We are still waiting to find a good deal on a possible lap top instead of a regular desk computer in the hopes that I can then take it and hide it and they won't be able to mess with it. In the meantime I am thankful for my smart phone and Riley's laptop from work that he has been so kind as to let me use the last work or so. But that's the boring stuff, here's what else has been going on:

Kendle started softball and so we are now on overlapping mode with soccer and Riley's high school coaching schedule. So far, no major mishaps or crazy scheduling conflicts. Helps that Riley also coaches Kendle's team so we can plan practices on days that work with everything else that is going on. Her soccer team has so far been enjoying another hot streak and remains undefeated. She's been enjoying attending the competitive league trainings on Friday afternoons and is looking forward to that starting after regular soccer is over. She's moved up to the age for softball where they actually pitch to each other, so this season should be interesting. Lots of ducking and evading wild balls I'm sure. Her team seems pretty fun though and her coach is nice and very organized. School is going good for her, she had another excellent review at parent teacher conferences and although it's nothing new, it is still nice to hear that your child is excelling and being a star student. Almost makes up for how they act at home right? She stays consistently pretty far above grade level in every subject and currently her favorite subject is writing. Anywho, we love her teacher and wish she could move up to 5th grade with Kendle next year. Kendle also loves their reading buddy days when they get to read to the kindergartners and anything else she can help with at school. She has made some new fun friends this year at school and through sports and just really enjoys life for the most part.

Morgan and the twins have entered the dirty season. It's starting to get nice enough to play outside a lot so they love to dig in the dirt and by the end of the day they all look like pig pen from Charlie Brown. I am constantly sweeping up dirt and doing laundry but at least they are happy and somewhat self entertained. I read somewhere the other day that little boys should play outside as much as possible because they thrive with touching, seeing, and experiencing learning firsthand especially in nature. I guess my boys have that covered! Morgan made a cute bird feeder at preschool today and was excited to come home and hang it up in the backyard tree. He has been anxiously checking it for any bird activity since then. He is also a flipping machine on the trampoline lately. He can do all sorts of tricks and entertains us. Cooper and Kale are SO close to being fully potty trained. It has taken so much longer with them because it is just harder with two of them, but I've tried to keep at it and they've almost got it. I think we need to throw a big end of diapers party here pretty soon! I'm trying to enjoy this stage of life with them, but as many mom's know the terrible two's can be pretty terrible at times. The only way to get through it most of the time is trying to laugh about the crazy stuff they do I suppose. Sometimes I just wish they could both be happy and content at the SAME time, they are always the opposite of each other.

Spring Break --- Her and Morgan both went to Seattle/Tacoma at the beginning of spring break with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law and some of their cousins. They got to go to the science center and the zoo and they had a fantastic time. Last Friday Riley took them on a fishing trip up past Dayton a little ways and they had a blast. They left super early in the morning while I was still asleep. Kendle was the super fisher and caught not only the biggest fish, but the most fish. Riley said she loved it and was so excited every time she caught one. Morgan had fun too, but most of the time would rather look for sticks or cool rocks. They came home and were very hungry, tired, dirty, but happy kids and I'm so glad they had a fun time to get away with just their dad. Later that night we took Kendle to meet up with my mom in Kennewick so she could spend the night at their house and travel to Portland with her the next day for my twin neice and nephew's birthday party. She had a great time seeing her cousins and having one last day of fun before spring break was over. I think the kids had a fun spring break this year.

 


I still don't have much "spare time" these days, but I'm finding that I treasure and enjoy our family time much more now when we are all busy. I'm also finding that I treasure and need my workout time to help me get rid of stress. I think Riley can tell the days I didn't get a run in because I may be a bit more grumpy! I feel like I've kind of reached a stale mate on the weight loss, but I guess something is still working because my clothes are getting looser. Someone commented to me the other day that my "skinny" jeans were looking kind of baggy. I think I lose weight from the top down and the feet up and then it all meets in the middle. The hardest part to get rid of. My mom and I were joking that we needed to market a new brand of jeans called "Big Waist, Skinny Legs". I'm hoping that now that the weather is nice I can take the kids for more walks or run around the track during Kendle's softball practice's. I can't wait to get out and get some more yard work and gardening done and do some spring cleaning to the exterior of the house. I just love spring and how beautiful everything starts to look. I miss the green grass and the flowers. I also have a long list of home projects I want to get started on in the next little while. I know Riley is excited for that! I think at this point he will be glad to do anything that doesn't involve fixing toilets. Ha, ha.