ZOMBIES!!!! and my first 5K

So, I accomplished something I never thought I could do.  Finish a run... in a respectable amount of time.  I was pretty proud of myself.  I really still don't enjoy running, but I don't hate it as much as I did a year ago.  I even think I would have done better if it hadn't been so darn hot.  The race started at 12:30, so stupid.

It was alot of fun, especially doing it with a team of some of my favorite peeps.  I love my family, they are fun bunch of goobers.  I love people that embrace their inner nerd!  This 5K was a good one to start on, their weren't many serious runners.  I think a lot of people were there to see the zombie and have fun with the experience.  It could be frustrating at points because there were so many people walking, which messed up the pace at points.  That's okay though.

Looking forward to my next race.  I have to get serious about training again.  I have just gotten to go back to our gym, so I have been enjoying my pilates and other classed.... so I am wicked sore.  I hate being sore, especially when it is soreness all over the body.  Just part of getting back on the horse I suppose.

Cody and me in our first event together!
We have done a ton on our own, but never a together... we have decided to do more events with one another.

Sam is helping Cody stretch!

Team Goo Goo Muck
Dennis, Cody, Uncle Lou, Chris (my Cuz)
Holly, Me, and Kerry (Cuz in Law)

Zombie encounter... some of the makeup was really really good.

Post race refuel

Chowing down on wings an beers and all other artery cloggers

My nephew Dennis made his first communion a few weekends ago.  It is a pretty big deal for Catholics a right of passage.  He was very funny taking the bread for the first time, he made a horrible face and almost lost it out of his mouth.  To be fair, it does taste like a stale cracker.  They had a close circuit monitor above so everyone could see, there were a lot of giggles from the congregation watching the faces of all the children.  Pretty cute stuff.

It was also Ruby's 3rd birthday!  Since Holly was busy preparing for Dennis's party I volunteered to make Ruby some pink cupcakes.  They were a hit I think.  

We were all so happy to have the Damiens join us for all the celebrating, it was too short a visit.  We all weren't expecting little Damien, so it was a HUGE surprise for the boys.  They went nuts!  I am looking forward to spending a week up there this summer with the kids.  The boys definitely enjoyed the reunion, they played hard.

Happy happy Ruby girl!

Looking "Holy"

Singing Happy Birthday to Ruby Dooby

Those cousins!  They just LOVE one another... every time we get them boys together we like to capture how much they have grown.  I can't believe how big they all are now.

We tried a group shot, didn't work so good.  That's ok though, Jane and Luke weren't in there.

There was some water fighting going on.  They are so crazy together.  I wish we could have them together more.

Blogging with 3 children is hard to do!

It is incredibly hard to get some good blogging in!  Not only do we not do a whole lot, other than try to keep our heads above water, when I am home... I have got laundry... and dishes... and pickup... and laundry... and meal making... and dishes... and and and!  Breathe.  My life is like one giant pattern!

But it is good.  I love it.  Really I do.  I drink more, but hey, it is all good.

So what is the latest with everyone??

This little nugget right here just gets better and better.  He is soooooooo sweet.  I am not just saying that because I am biased, he really is.  You pick him up and he will just pop that little thumb in his mouth and lay his head on your chest, total heaven.  He just has me wrapped around his little pinkie.  And, can you believe he is going to be 6 months next week?  I can't.  My mind is like whoa.  Of course, this may have to do with the lack of sleep.  He went from sleeping 7-4am, eating and then going back down to waking up starting some nights at 11pm and nursing every 2-3 hours.  The worst is at about 5am, he is awake and talking away for the rest of the morning.  Cute as hell, but not fun when you are trying to get some much needed shut eye.  

The EA-TEF issues have been a bit tricky lately.  He outgrew his dosage and we weren't aware, so there was a lot of baby puke, all the time.  He is up to 14lbs!  He likes the formula supplement I give him.  We have got the new dosage and it has improved a bit.  I tried introducing a few first foods, he likes cereal (rice and oatmeal)... peas (a bust) avocado (a bust) and sweet potatoes (loved), but the sweet potatoes (didn't love him).  I am going to stick with the cereals for another couple of days and try sweet potatoes again, see if the up dose in meds help keep it down.  He seems to like eating, which is a great change from AR who rebelled from day 1 on all food outside of straight nursing.  He reminds me more of Sam, thank god... great eater but slow.  On the upside Luke HAS to be a slow eater so he doesn't choke.  

His gross motor is a bit delayed... he doesn't care to sit and he hasn't rolled from back to front yet either.  But, I believe this is a mix of both reflux and losing a whole month while at Brenner's.  We work alot in the Bumbo, and just a few baby exercises.  I have had an OT evaluation, so we are keeping an eye on things.  Knowledge is power, but given my earlier field of study it can also lead to terror and paranoia.  Trying to keep all that in check :)

He has his well visit with the pediatrician next week and shots.  He also has a visit with the surgeon at Brenner's in 2 weeks.  Looking forward to his analysis of Luke's development.

Sambo is killing it at swim lessons.  So proud of him!  He is such a fish!  I hope he continues to love it, it is such a good sport for him.  If you know Sam, you know how energetic and goofy he can be and watching how he focuses while in the water is so encouraging for me.  You will never worry about your children I feel like, as much as worry about your first born.  

He has less than a month of school left.  And, outside of coloring he never has to bring classwork home anymore.  I can see how much he has matured in just the last month or two.  He is so much more cooperative with everything from getting homework done to completing his chores.  He can still need reminders to stay on task, but hey... he is only 5.

He has got a busy summer ahead.  He wants to do swim team again (yeah!) and try Tai Kwon Do.  I also got him enrolled in a few camps.  There is the Spy Camp, Science Camp, Vacation Bible School at the local Episcopal parish and (drumroll, please) Acting Camp performing "The Hobbit".  He is so excited.  He wants to be Bilbo.

He also wants to take some music lessons.  I am thinking piano.  Cody's thinking drums.

What is there to say about Rosie?  She is doing so much better since her tubes.  She still gets a little feisty, but that is a mixture of her personality and her 'middle childness'.  She wants to be heard and seen that is for sure.  Her little temperament is so different from Sam's, something I am still looking to get used to.  She is a fighter, whereas Sam is a lover.  She often loves to challenge you.  And believe me, it is a challenge.  I keep saying to Cody, she is going to be special... she will do big things, as long as we foster that big personality just right.  You know what I mean?  She has independence and determination, and I love that about her.  She has a natural bravery and curiosity and confidence, that comes from within.  How many 2 year old do you know that will approach a horse and not even think twice?  No fear.

I am hoping to find a long weekend coming up here, where I can get this girl potty trained.  She is definitely ready to be out of diapers.  It is hard for me to find a few minutes to get it done though.  I'd love to start her in some swim lessons soon.  I am a bit nervous about taking the kids to the pool this year, while having Luke.  Sam was so confident in the water, always.  He knew how to be safe and how to go under at her age.  Annarose still won't really stick her face in the water, and yet there is that no fear thing I was talking about... wish me luck.

My knuckle heads!

Enjoying some much needed sunshine!  It has been a bleak, cold spring in NC

Easter morning

We had a quiet Easter Sunday.  We woke up early to a wet, rainy morning.  The kids explored their baskets and quickly hunted some eggs before 9:30 mass.  We then made for the club for Easter brunch. We hung out all day around the house and then I made dinner.  Nothing to exciting, just a cold, wet day.  The kids looked adorable in their Easter best, but it looked and felt so wintry rather than spring.  I don't like an early Easter, I have decided.

Luke Pookes!  All happy all the time.

Easter morning!  It was cold and wet.  The bunny left all the eggs and baskets on the porch.  We wore our rain coats and boots just in case.

The bunny has such a funny sence of humor, he knows how much Sam likes carrots!

Annarose all dressed for church and brunch.

What's happening

It is so hard to find time to blog now with three beans running around... but here goes.

With Sam...

He is cranking right along in Kindergarten.  He is getting fantastic marks on his work, but he still abhors handwriting and anything related to coloring.  I can't say it will be the end of the world, because when do we need coloring in the real world and let's face it who is going to be using handwriting in 20 years to scribble more than a maybe a grocery list.  Frankly, they already have an app for that!  He loves to read, he made it through an entire Dr. Seuss book this week with minimal help, and he has begun to read to Annarose.  We have also been branching out with books we read to him, he finished "The Hobbit" with Daddy and I started "The Wizard of OZ" after that.  He likes the chapter books a lot.
He started spring soccer, and took a break from gymnastics to try it out.  His team is REALLY good.  I am wondering if it will frustrate him that his teammates have such a head start on their skills.  We will see.  He is swimming once a week still, and loves it.  The kid has almost got the butterfly down.  Awesome stuff... he seems to do better with sports that require individual skill rather then balls and teamwork.  But, he may surprise me.

With Annarose...

My poor peanut pie!  She has had such a rough couple of months.  Not only was she knocked off her baby status with Luke... but she has suffered terribly all winter with double ear infections.  We just finished out 7th near consecutive round of anti-biotics, and to no avail she is still suffering.  Cody and I made the choice to have tubes put in.  She has become resistant to the antibiotics, and I suspect she is starting to have hearing difficulties.  Her surgery is next Thursday.  I pray that this will help her be a happier baby again.  She has been very temperamental and cranky.  I miss my sweet, vibrant girl!
She has been taking gymnastics once a week, and going to her little church pre-school 3 mornings a week.  She loves her friends and adores her teachers.  She has gotten super independent, it is such a blessing with an infant.  She likes her dolls and kitchen, and loves to go outside and play with Sam.  We are all looking forward to warmer weather.   It has been a wet, cold winter.

With Luke....

Golly, he is the easiest and most darling baby.  At last weigh in, he was 10lbs2oz... big for my babies.  His appointments with both the pediatrician and surgeons this month were great.  We are keeping a close eye on his reflux, which started to increase in frequency and volume over the last 2 weeks.  I have a call in to see if we need to revisit his prescriptions.  I have also begun to keep an eye on his fine motor development, the docs were concerned about the coordination and use of his right side where he had the incision for surgery.  He is an awesome sleeper, 2 good solid naps and a full night sleep.  He goes down most nights at 6:15 and wakes at 4am and back down till 7:30 or so.  I have never had such a great sleeper!  It is fabulous.  I am nursing with a formula or breast milk supplement occasionally.  He smiles and coos.  He loves to be snuggled while he sucks his thumb, but he is also a good boy when he has to sit in his bouncy puppy chair while I cook or tend to his crazy brother and sister.  I am enjoying every second of his sweetness.  I can't believe he is nearly 4 months old.  It is going by so fast.  I can't stand it.  I tell people I am savoring him like a really good dessert.  He is perfectly precious!

With Us....

The house addition is coming along at a nice clip.  I am praying it will be finished by June.

Cody is still looking for a doctor to come work with him at the practice.  Frosty retired at the end of last year.  He has good interviews, but these  young guys are more inclinded to be in a city.  It is frustrating for him, but the practice is holding up in spite of it all.  Cody is just working his tail off!  He will be ready for a vacation when it comes.

I've been just busy trying to stay afloat.  The daily life stuff keeps me going from the moment my feet touch the floor.  I'd like to say that I am getting better at time management, but really my brain is still all soupy.  I am pretty forgetful.  I'd like to say I am getting into my resolutions, but I haven't had the time or motivation.  I did run this morning on the treadmill.

All you need is love!

Happy Valentine's Day from us to you!

All you need is love!

Snow fun... better late than never.

First time on a sled for Annarose

She liked it! 

Getting ready to build a snowman

They found it to be hard work, so guess who really did the building?

Working on the head

Refusing to wear gloves

This is our snowman, Uncle Jeff, Sam thought this was a great name for a snowman.  I did mention to him that Uncle Jeff lives in sunny San Diego and doesn't particularly like cold weather or snow.

All done!  There was a hot shower after all this!

 Okay!  Christmas is over and it snowed... is it Spring yet?

Kid Zone Project

The major project with the house is underway... we are headed into month 2!  So far, so good.  No big surprises, I hope that it stays that way.  We are adding on 2 bedrooms with a shared bathroom, and a playroom for the kiddies, also a workshop and extra garage for Cody.  In the playroom, they are adding a stair case to a loft that will allow us to access a part of our HUGE attic.  We have amazing storage in this house, but no good way to access it. Here is a picture of the loft and stairs.

They have got everything plumbed in, and just poured new concrete floors in the bedroom areas.  Since the space was orginally used as dog kennels, we had to rip out the floors they were just leached with that dog smell and it also had a french drainage system running through the center.  I can actually walk in there now and not smell dog!  This was a huge worry for me.

It feels like it is moving fast!  And, surprising for me is the baby is doing really good in our room.  I was so worried this would be a major problem, turns out he is one of my best sleepers.  He goes from about 7pm-3:30am and 5:30am-6am at next wakeup.  So not to bad, he doesn't seem ultra sensitive to noise either.  I run a sound machine during the day and when we first go to sleep at night as we are settling in, other than that he handles sleeping near us remarkabley well.

Very excited about the loft, we are thinking it will be a great space to through bean bags and books.  I would have loved this as a kid.

Sam running around the playroom space!

Going up!  They have vaulted the ceilings to accomodate the stairs and loft.  

2013 Resolutions

Trying to capture these three together all looking and happy is next to impossible.  But, this is such a true picture of my crazy life (right now) with those monkeys.  Happy happy New Year!

Cody and Heather--

Run an event together.  This should be interesting.  I hate running, and Cody doesn't really love it either.  He wants to do 10K in March.  I am thinking a 5K in May.  I'll keep ya posted on that.

Heather--

Continue my meal planning and grocery list prep.  Also, expand my "go to" recipes that are wholesome and kid friendly.

Take more pictures!

Get myself scheduled... there is no time to fly by the seat of my pants with 3 kids and a husband.  I need to get more regimented this year, so I can stay on top of the housework, laundry, and me time.

Sam--

Stay on target at school.  We have a little problem with "talking" when we should be doing "work".

Complete chores everyday.  He collects the trash/diapers in the house, and sets/clears table for meals.
He is doing really good with this already, but sometimes he whines a bit.

Dress himself in the morning for school without the constant supervision and nagging of a certain Momma.

Annarose--

Stop screaming.  She can turn on the tantrums and waterworks like a true actress.  Her screaming is completely ear piercing and very annoying.

Add more fruits and veggies to her diet

Learn to use the POTTY!

Luke--

Develop a daytime schedule.

Resolutions! How we did and where we go from here...

I love how Holly posted on her blog, the Hauckies success with their 2012 resolutions... so I am going to copycat her.

Annarose....
Work on eating more textures, especially fruits and veggies.  She still eats mostly pureed.
Behaving for diaper changes

AR is finally making progress with her expanding diet.  It has taken a ton of perserverance on my part... but she is finally eating a few fruits whole!  She likes apples, bananas, grapes, carrots, and the occasional strawberry.  She is also much more consistent about eating meats too.
She can still be challenging during diapering, which has now warped into spending way too much time choosing her diaper. Does she want an Oscar? or perhaps an Elmo?  It is frustrating.


Sam....
Staying in his bed all night.  
Putting on school uniform, with minimal help (ie. tying shoes)
Eating breakfast and dinner in a reasonable time

Sam has done stellar with sleeping in his bed, with the exception of a nightmare here and there.  We had some back slides when he started Kindergarten.  I think he missed us and this was his way of getting in the proper amount of snuggle time.
He still needs a little too much support to stay on task and get his uniform on, I think we need to revisit the resolution.
And, I think he is hitting a growth spurt, because he has been doing an excellent job of eating his meals within a reasonable time.  He is still the last to finish, but not by much.


Heather....
Increase speed and time on treadmill (I hate running).
Plan meals weekly, and shopping lists (I run to the grocery store way to many times in a week)
Learn to shoot with my camera more effectively (had my first photo class this past weekend)

Pregnancy killed that resolution in the second half of the year.  I was all but crippled by my sciatic nerve pain, and then I was too big to do much but waddle and quick pace and keep up with my yoga.
The meal planning and grocery shopping is the only way to go for me anymore.  I have been hugely successful with this, and plan to keep it up.  Right now, I have lots of meals still being brought in by friends and the kids have been home on vacation... but within the next couple of weeks I should be back into a good routine with this task.
Still haven't had time to learn my camera better, and I don't see it happening anytime soon with our little Luke... but maybe I can get a book on it or something from the library.


Cody.... Shoot more stuff

We got a deer in the deep freezer and Cody has expanded his shooting horizons to a bow and arrow... I think he is doing a wonderful job with his resolution.

I have some thinking to do on our 2013 resolutions, so I will have to get back to you on that in the next few days!