Birthday weekend!

This last weekend was one of those weekends where I sarcastically think to myself "my life really sucks"! Sam had the whole weekend off. I did a really awesome 25k trail run. I got to have a girls night and I had a lot of fun laughing with my girls. I had a massage. I got some nice gifts from my friends and family. Sam got me a gift card to get my VO2 max checked and I am excited about that. I had brunch with my family. I had a nap with Sam and Isaac. Sam made me lemon bars (my favorite). Sam also made me a wonderful dinner.
I am still a little tired from the race. I don't think I ate very good after the race, but eating after a big run is hard for me. My stomach gets all weird. The only thing I can handle is oranges and salad. So today I spent a lot of time chilling, a little bit of cleaning and hopefully tomorrow I will feel better. I might have a little bit of a bug also but it is hard to tell.
Pictures to come.

rambling

Things have been a little rough here. Isaac was sick for about seven days with a crazy stomach bug and now Elijah has it. My poor boys. It is hard, they both want to keep doing things but it is hard to leave the house when you never know when an emergency bathroom break will be needed. Plus they are both so grumpy when they are sick. Really I can not blame them.
I have still been able to get my workouts in. I ran another ten miles on Friday with lots of hills. I felt good and was able to get the jogger up all those hills. I have a theory that if I can get the jogger up big hills and run ten miles pushing it I might be able to pull off this 25k. I went for a 5 mile run with Lucas yesterday, he has a pretty fast pace and I was able to keep up with him. He decided after the run we should go rock climbing. Off to the Front climbing gym we went. I really suck at rock climbing! I do like it though. It is good for me to try new things. My arms are really sore today.
Good news, I woke up today without any Achilles tendon pain. Now that I have been walking around I can barely notice it. So maybe I am slowly starting to heal.
In the last month or so Isaac has really started talking. He has conversations now. He also says some not very cool things. Like when he is frustrated with me or Elijah he says "go away". He has really started to turn into a boy, losing his baby weight, being interested in bikes, not wanting hugs and to do things all on his own. He even picks out his own pajamas and gets upset when I try and help him get them on.
Four year old Elijah is awesome. I think he is more aware of other peoples feelings and he cares when he upsets someone. He actually wants me to play games with him! He is doing ice skating lessons on Tuesdays and soccer games on Saturdays. He is good at ice skating, he can already shuffle across the ice. We will see what happens with soccer. He is insisting he is going to be the goalie and he can use his hands. They don't use goalies at this level so we will see what happens.
Sam is still really busy. But things are getting closer to being done. He presents his research project on April 8th. He will have until the end of April to finish his clinical hours and he graduates on May 5th! He then has to pass boards, but he will do so good. He is so tired. He has been going seven days a week for three years. I am lucky to have a man that is smart, good looking, funny and not afraid to work his ass off to make his family's life better!

I did it!

I ran 10 miles today! My achilles tendon hurts now but didn't hurt the whole run. I didn't have any ankle or foot pain while running either. Andrea and I ran a lot of hills today, to get ready for my next two races. I was tired at the end of the run but I felt good. I figured out if I use a goo packet at least once on these long runs I do so much better. I gag every time I eat a goo, but it keeps me going. I pushed the boys the whole time today! They both stayed awake and played with their toys or fought each other. I don't think Elijah is going to let me push him on these long runs for too much longer, plus he is getting too big for me. I guess I will have to figure something else out soon. Good thing Sam is almost done with school.

Isaac's black eye

it is more of a yellow eye but still a nice bruise


the day of the big fall



yesterday


notice the bruise on his forehead meeting the bruise on his eye.

Ice Skating

Elijah started ice skating lessons yesterday. He has been super excited for this for a while. He could barely contain himself when he was waiting for his lessons to start. The first day the teacher taught the kids how to fall down, get up by themselves and to walk a little on the ice. Once he was on the ice he realized how hard it was going to be but he was brave. He stayed on the ice and kept trying even when he was scared!


Daddy helping him get his skates on





so excited!



watching the speed skaters practice



on the ice



watching brother do his thing


I ran six miles on monday. I felt good while running. My achilles tendon ached after but ibuprofen, icing and massage helped. Tuesday I did a tempo workout on the elliptical. It was one of those super hard workouts that feels so good. Today I did some pilates with Isaac sitting on me. I find it hard to concentrate on holding my stomach muscles in with a screaming toddler sitting on me.

Elijah took this picture. He instructed us to be Power Rangers.


they make me laugh

The boys and I went to the park yesterday. We were there for 25 minutes. In that time both boys fell off the swing and Isaac gave himself a black eye! Elijah fell off the swing looking like a ninja and Isaac fell off and got right back up. Having two wild boys can sometimes be stressful. All these injuries they give themselves makes my heart race and my anxiety go up. I do not want to be a hovering mom though. I think when a parent hovers kids stop exploring, learning independence and tend to be narcissistic. I try to balance letting them do their thing with me keeping them safe. I guess that means they are going to end up with a few more bruises and bumps. I will post a picture of Isaac's black eye when it gets really good!

This last week was my third week of six days in a row of exercise. It felt so good. I have been doing four days of cardio, one of Pilates, and on of the 550. I even ran two days this week. I felt good, the achilles tendon is still sore after the run but icing and massage help a lot. I am going to try for a ten mile run this week, I have to be able to run 16 miles very soon!

I am getting old

And I really don't mind. Everything is different my body, my thinking, my priorities, and my self-esteem. I think getting older is amazing and I am loving it. I don't want to go get drunk anymore, in fact I rarely drink. I made a lot of mistakes while drunk and created a lot of drama. I like being a sober responsible adult. I appreciate my body so much more, I try really hard not to say or think mean things about my body. My body has carried two babies and fed those two babies. My body has run countless miles and I have been able to push it to the limit and it has done so good. I don't go out at nine thirty at night, I go to bed. I don't go to sleep at six in the morning, I wake up at six in the morning so I can work out before my boys are up and moving. I want to finish college not because I feel like I have to but because I want to because I worth a good college education. I don't miss being in my 20's at all! I like being 31, I feel so much better. I am starting to get a few laugh lines. I don't mind, better to have laugh lines than drunk lady wrinkles or even frowning wrinkles. My relationships are better now. I am a better partner because of all the positive changes. Most of this is because a man as good as Sam loves me. But it is also because I think I have gotten better with age.

My Achilles tendon is still sore. I started to have ankle and foot pain also. I stopped running completely so it could heal. I have been going to the gym four days a week and doing the elliptical machine. Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike the gym, I don't like talking to strange men while I am working out! The elliptical is kicking my butt though so that is good. I am making sure I do pilates once a week and the 550 so I keep up my flexibility and strength. I am starting to feel much better so soon I will be running. I really need to run I have a 25k on March 26th I need to get into shape for!

Happy Birthday Elijah

Elijah and his long lost soul mate Alex


Getting ready to blow out the candles for the second time


"I am fourrrrrr"


Power Ranger Elijah


Super Hero Elijah

I cannot believe Elijah is four! Four years has gone by so quickly. I do like four year old Elijah, three-year olds are very challenging. The closer Elijah got to four, the easier things got. He is so thoughtful, inquisitive, and smart. He will always be independent and a little defiant but I think those can be good things.
We had his birthday party at the Aquarium. It was so nice, I didn't have to do anything but bring the cake. The kids all ate Mac and Cheese. We had Power Ranger cake. Elijah opened a ton of presents, which was a little overwhelming with all the other kids being so curios. The kids went on a scavenger hunt through the aquarium. Then we just hung out till closing. When we got home Elijah was able to look at his presents and appreciate them more. He was really excited about everything he got and he got a ton of cool stuff.

My running is not going. I felt really good after being sick but my Achilles tendon started acting up. I tried resting but I did a 5k on it and then tried to do easy runs on it. It didn't work. I bought an a month long pass to the rec center and I will do the elliptical machine for a week, with pilates and the 55o workout. Hopefully after that I will feel better and I can get back to running. I have some big races coming up and I want to do good on them.

One of those days

he knows he is awesome


the new mohawk

Today was one of those days. The morning went alright, we had breakfast and got ready for the day. Elijah got himself dressed and Isaac was singing all morning. Then we went to the grocery store. Elijah started throwing a fit as we were walking out the door. He kept throwing the fit until I was half way done grocery shopping. The fit was so intense people were giving us strange looks and one man actually stopped to laugh. As soon as Elijah calmed down, Isaac started throwing a fit. He decided to stop once we were out of the store. I decided to get the boys kids meal and they didn't give us french fries so I had to go back! Everything was fine for a while Isaac took a nap and Elijah decided to make himself some cereal. Then Elijah got into the pantry and I have no idea what he was doing but he broke a can of salsa all over him and all over everything in there. Thank goodness he didn't hurt himself. He was so upset and kept telling me he was going to buy me more salsa, so I couldn't get mad. Isaac woke up from his nap and fell half way down the stairs. While we were making our weekly scones Elijah put both of his hands on a hot burner. He has first degree burns but really not bad for what he did. I was feeling stressed until Elijah thanked me for doing his laundry and Isaac asked me for a hug. Those little things really make me happy.
I was sick last week so I only ran Thursday five miles, Friday four miles and Saturday I did eight. I did feel okay enough to go running on Wednesday but it was so cold outside I couldn't take my boys in the jogger. I ended up doing the 550 workout. I felt really good considering how sick I was.

Epic run

He wears these pajamas a lot! I think I will have to buy another set.



Seriously it was epic. We started at Red Butte Gardens on the Shore Line trail to 11th ave, to the captial and then to my house. It was right under ten miles, so we had to run around the block. I felt pretty good until about mile eight, then I got really tired.
Last Saturday I was still recovering so I only ran six. By Monday I was back I did five miles. Tuesday was five miles and Wednesday was six miles with hill repeats. Thursday I did nothing. Friday I ran four miles, did walking push ups and star crunches.
Right now I need a nap but my boys don't so I am going to hang with them. They have colds so I think we will all sleep well tonight.

workouts and kids

Tuesday and Wednesday I ran about 6 miles. Tuesday I felt pretty good but yesterday I was tired. This morning I woke up with a weird virus. My throat is sore and I am achy and tired. I am hoping the runs have been hard because this virus was coming. I am also hoping I feel better by Saturday so I can do my long run.
Elijah will be four in one month and Isaac will be two in four months. I love their ages. Elijah is getting to be so independent. He washes his own hands, gets his own snacks, and is starting to get his own cereal. He is so creative and imaginative. I love listening to him play. He often plays a combination of cars, superheroes, and dinosaurs. He is also into coloring a lot more. Isaac is such a smart toddler. He looks at himself in the mirror and says "me, Bean". (his nickname is Bean). He loves to sit on the couch and read books. He has the most amazing vocabulary. He also loves to copy anything his brother does! They are to the point they play together but I think it is more Elijah playing and bossing Isaac around. They really do amaze me.

Best anniversary ever!

Yesterday was our four year anniversary. We started out the morning with family pictures. We did them outside so it was good that it had snowed the night before. We had blue skies! It was cold and the boys got a little irritated with the cold. I think the pictures are going to be really cute. I will post them when we get them back.
We went home to get warm, eat some breakfast and take little naps. After my parents came over to watch the boys, Sam and I went for a couples massage. It was much needed! That massage therapist hurt me. He worked out all the knots in my neck, back and legs from running. We then went for tea and hot chocolate at the Coffee Garden. It is one of my favorite places for coffee but I don't go there very often, it is a small space and my kids are very loud.
We had dinner at The Bayou. Their beer menu is huge. It took Sam at least ten minutes to pick out a beer. We had a good dinner, good beer and good conversation.
It really was a good day. Sam started school today so it was nice to spend a day just us.

Saturday I ran 12.50 miles. We had to run in Heber because of the air quality in Salt Lake. It was suppose to be a ten mile run but I got us lost. I am not sure everyone listened to me, I don't know Heber!
Today I went for a 5 mile run and it hurt. It was a very hard run. I am not sure if it was Saturday run or the massage that did me in. I think I will be skipping my speed workout for the week.

Snowshoe Date

Beautiful Big Cottonwood Canyon

Yesterday my brother Lucas was nice enough to offer to babysit so Sam and I could go on a date. We decided to snowshoe to Lake Blanche. It was a perfect snowy winter day. The hike is hard in the summer and even harder in the winter with snowshoes. We were out there almost all alone, we did see a few backcountry skiers and even a few fat birds.
I traded in the hike for a running day and I needed it.
Sunday I ran eight miles,
Tuesday I did a tempo workout,
Wednesday I snowshoed
and tonight I am going to do the 550 rep workout. I feel pretty good, my hamstrings are tight from the hike but nothing a good stretch won't help.

the beginning of 2010


the end of 2010



Getting ready to go for a ride on super dog.

Isaac and Elijah have changed so much over the last year! Elijah is full on boy, no baby left. He likes to ride his bike, watch cartoons, he likes superheroes, powerrangers, and pokemon's. He likes to read comic books. He is very particular about his clothes. Isaac is toddler. He speaks so well. He likes to watch Barney and Toy Story. He loves cars and Buzz light year. It is amazing watching them grow. Sometimes I look at them and my heart breaks a little, they are getting so big and independent.
2010 has been an amazing year!

Christmas

why wouldn't you wear a t-shirt with snow boots? Why wouldn't you climb onto the kitchen counter and drink your moms cold coffee?






the coolest pajamas ever!


present opening is serious business to these boys


We gave eachother blazers!!


the birds nest that Elijah pick for me.

As a parent christmas is exhausting! The shopping, the gift wrapping, the planning, and staying up until the kids go to sleep to put the presents out. Oh and the clean up is crazy. I enjoy christmas more now that Elijah knows what is going on and Isaac is just excited because there are toys for him.
We had a good christmas holiday. We saw christmas lights at Temple Square, rode the Polar Express in Heber, and had a lot of quality family time.
Christmas eve morning Sarah and Kelvin took the boys to breakfast and a movie. Sam and I were able to get presents wrapped and the house cleaned while they were gone. Christmas eve night we had our traditional taco dinner. Christmas morning was awesome! Isaac is still too little but Elijah was so excited. He stumbled out of bed his eyes barely open, yelling for us to turn the lights on so he could see what santa brought. My parents and Sam's mom and Kelvin came over to see the boys open their presents. We spent the morning with Sarah and Kelvin and did brunch. We then went to my sister's house for christmas dinner and even more presents. It was a busy day but so much fun.
I swear yesterday the boys had a christmas hang over. They kept acting out and they both were exhausted all day.
Sam is on break until January 10th. We are going to enjoy him being gone three days a week.
I am planning on posting more about my workouts. I tend to feel really good or I feel as if I am running with heavy legs and I can barely move. I want to be able to see my trends and maybe figure out why I am periodically struggling.

I have been attempting this workout. I can do all the exercises but not all the reps. I do not want to be as buff as this lady but I want to be as bad ass. Really I am hoping if I add this to running four days a week I will get a good overall work out for the week. I think running six miles is easier than this and I haven't even thought about timing myself I take too many breaks.

my boys sleep in awkward positions