Who doesn't love fall? (If you happen to be a mutant and not enjoy the best season ever, please don't spoil it by telling me) The crisp air, the lovely colors, excellent hiking, and stellar runs in practically perfect conditions regardless of time of day are just a few of my favorite things about autumn. I also like rain drops on roses, crisp apple strudels (gluten free, of course), door bells, sleigh bells, okay I'll stop.
Halloween is always a trip with small children. Derek wanted to be an elephant (his favorite animal, EVER!) and Benjamin used an old doggy costume. He was cutest, squishiest, adorable doggy. Period. Derek refused to wear his elephant nose, but consented to wear the head band with Dumbo ears (this is the child who had a major melt-down every time he had to adjust to new shoes for the first 2+ years of his life). Strange the OCD tendencies my children pick up from their father... ahem...I mean mother (guess I didn't realize I was so obvious- and for clarification, I adore new shoes and have no problem wearing them and could probably multiply and replenish the earth with new shoes if I felt my wallet could withstand it).
Moving right along... Tyler and I dressed up and Kate Beckett as Richard Castle from abc's "Castle" which we love. I don't remember the last time I wore that much eye make up. It was probably that silly junior miss pageant when I was a senior in high school. Did I really participate in a pageant? Whoa!
The past few months I have been seeing an acupuncturist for restless leg syndrome (RLS-yep, there's an acronym for everything). I feel I have found a new amazing secret, but it really shouldn't be a secret. It's AMAZING!!! I used to wear compression socks almost every day (especially after a run) due to the pain from my varicose veins (thank you, genetics... not really). I no longer feel a need to wear them, even after my weekly 10-11 mile runs. I feel super young again and feel so grateful to have been guided to this form of "alternative" medicine. And, my restless legs are waking me in the night less and less.
Tyler just finished the academy for the Utah Department of Corrections for his job at the prison. The highlights were: "What Does the Fox Say?," range practice, being sprayed with OC spray, and ultra boring lectures on the psychology of prison inmates. Honestly?! He loves his job and I do too because who doesn't love having a happy man in the house?!
And...wait for it... my favorite part? A hideous infection of Streptococcus pyogenes! Say wha? At the end of a serious battle with wretched laryngitis, I got a nasty case of strep throat. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck- I couldn't even sit in the chair in the exam room at the dr. office- I curled up like a fetus on the exam table. Blech!!! My appreciation for Alexander Fleming took on new meaning (the man who is credited for antibiotic discovery- the Penicillium mold story thus finding penicillin, etc.). Poor little Benjamin got it too, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I had a much higher bacteria load cuz he hardly seemed effective. Or, I'm a major pansy.
Okay, this post is overly long and full of tangents. I'll stop now.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Can You Please Stop Growing?
The summer finished off in a whirlwind and methinks we are still managing our way through the rubble. July brought a fun vacation. We went camping in Strawberry, caught crawdads, and Derek got his 1st s'more. We then spent a few days in Logan. We hiked, played at the park, saw real-live construction trucks, and discovered what it's like for all to share a motel room- adventurous!
The beginning of August found us at Flaming Gorge with the Canova's. We hunted and ate crawdads like primates, played like crazy people, ate like Olympic champs, and rode on wave runners like renegades. Benjamin sat in a prickly pear cactus, just to make sure he didn't miss out on too much fun. Daddy and Grandpa Canova had the delightful pleasure of taking all the needles out.
The middle of August I, Mindy, was in charge of a relay team for the Grand Teton Relay. We had more fun than people oughtta be permitted. With the Moyers, Kelly Johnson, Char, and Lynne, how could we not have a rockin' good time?! Speaking of eating like Olympic champs... The scenery was breath-taking, the sleep more than sketchy, and conversation replete with jokes. I could do that relay over and over again every year. Ragnar? Who needs 'em?!
Derek started his 2nd year of preschool the end of August and, of course, LOVES it! He also did great in swimming lessons over the summer. His "Nemo" goggles brought out the cutest in him. He loves to play with Benjamin and frequently patronizes him, says "Sorry Ben," then does it some more. Ugh. When playing with his trains, he pretends his trains are on the real Thomas the Train movies and is now telling me how "useful" he is and/or his trains. Supposedly Thomas is quite the"uesful" engine on the big screen. The other night after being put to bed, he came out of the bedroom. I was sweeping in the kitchen and Tyler was reading on our bed. Derek went to Daddy and proceeded to tell him that when he was little Mommy pushed him over, but Daddy made him happy. WHA?.....
Benjamin's cheeks jiggle when he runs and he exclaims, "Weee!" every time he goes down a slide, or we go down a hill in the car, or doing anything else of a similar motion. His vocabulary keeps increasing on a steep exponential curve. He says,"Amen!" at the end of prayers,"Eddy, seh, go!" whenever semi-appropriate, and instead of "yes" he says, "Uh, huh" while nodding his head. He recently comforted me after I banged my finger by giving me hugs and saying, "Kay" meaning, "It's okay." He is still my delicious bundle of squishiness.
As a mother, it's rare to not feel dis-combobulated and have to-do list longer than a Christmas advent calendar. I'm learning to care less about what others think and live in the moment. I'm also going to acupuncture for restless legs. Getting more sleep is paramount. That's gonna take some effort! But the acupuncture is almost like magic!
Tyler is suffering through post training for the prison. He's done the beginning of November and it apparently can't get here soon enough! We were gonna run the AF Halloween 5K to see who was faster (me or him), but that's off. 1. His muscles are over-trained from PT at post, and 2. He admitted he wouldn't be able to keep up with me. There you have it folks!
Well, life continues to be a thrill a minute. Tyler and I recently redeemed some Marriott points in Park City for our birthdays and I've taken the boys on a few hikes. Fall is always a great time of year. We're getting ready for Halloween and I'm lamenting the upcoming cold weather. Last winter was so wretched! Sigh. Too bad I can't control the cosmos. All in all, life is good and we are very blessed.
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The beginning of August found us at Flaming Gorge with the Canova's. We hunted and ate crawdads like primates, played like crazy people, ate like Olympic champs, and rode on wave runners like renegades. Benjamin sat in a prickly pear cactus, just to make sure he didn't miss out on too much fun. Daddy and Grandpa Canova had the delightful pleasure of taking all the needles out.
The middle of August I, Mindy, was in charge of a relay team for the Grand Teton Relay. We had more fun than people oughtta be permitted. With the Moyers, Kelly Johnson, Char, and Lynne, how could we not have a rockin' good time?! Speaking of eating like Olympic champs... The scenery was breath-taking, the sleep more than sketchy, and conversation replete with jokes. I could do that relay over and over again every year. Ragnar? Who needs 'em?!
Derek started his 2nd year of preschool the end of August and, of course, LOVES it! He also did great in swimming lessons over the summer. His "Nemo" goggles brought out the cutest in him. He loves to play with Benjamin and frequently patronizes him, says "Sorry Ben," then does it some more. Ugh. When playing with his trains, he pretends his trains are on the real Thomas the Train movies and is now telling me how "useful" he is and/or his trains. Supposedly Thomas is quite the"uesful" engine on the big screen. The other night after being put to bed, he came out of the bedroom. I was sweeping in the kitchen and Tyler was reading on our bed. Derek went to Daddy and proceeded to tell him that when he was little Mommy pushed him over, but Daddy made him happy. WHA?.....
Benjamin's cheeks jiggle when he runs and he exclaims, "Weee!" every time he goes down a slide, or we go down a hill in the car, or doing anything else of a similar motion. His vocabulary keeps increasing on a steep exponential curve. He says,"Amen!" at the end of prayers,"Eddy, seh, go!" whenever semi-appropriate, and instead of "yes" he says, "Uh, huh" while nodding his head. He recently comforted me after I banged my finger by giving me hugs and saying, "Kay" meaning, "It's okay." He is still my delicious bundle of squishiness.
As a mother, it's rare to not feel dis-combobulated and have to-do list longer than a Christmas advent calendar. I'm learning to care less about what others think and live in the moment. I'm also going to acupuncture for restless legs. Getting more sleep is paramount. That's gonna take some effort! But the acupuncture is almost like magic!
Tyler is suffering through post training for the prison. He's done the beginning of November and it apparently can't get here soon enough! We were gonna run the AF Halloween 5K to see who was faster (me or him), but that's off. 1. His muscles are over-trained from PT at post, and 2. He admitted he wouldn't be able to keep up with me. There you have it folks!
Well, life continues to be a thrill a minute. Tyler and I recently redeemed some Marriott points in Park City for our birthdays and I've taken the boys on a few hikes. Fall is always a great time of year. We're getting ready for Halloween and I'm lamenting the upcoming cold weather. Last winter was so wretched! Sigh. Too bad I can't control the cosmos. All in all, life is good and we are very blessed.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Oh What Do You Do In The Summertime?
Life never stops moving and summer is well on its way. Hard to believe- the crazy heat also fits in this category. It took longer than I wanted to feel like my insides had recovered from the May marathon. I ran a half marathon in American Fork a few weeks ago (the same I'd done for the previous 2 years). It was wonderful to be with friends and run for people who are struggling with cancer. I stayed with my friend Kelly Johnson the night before and we had a marvelous time catching up. She is one remarkable and brave woman. I had such a great race that I soon thereafter thought I wanted to quickly find another half marathon. Practically over night the desire to do lots of races vanished. It feels good to just enjoy my family, focus on home, and do "summer" things.
Derek started his 1st swim lessons this past week. The 1st 2 days were interesting. I could readily tell that he was the least comfortable in the water, but he was mostly obedient to his teacher. The 2nd day I forced his swim clothes on him and carried him to the car. He was completely unaffected by my efforts to leave without him, hoping he'd want to come. That trick quickly died in flames- at least for that. But, now he loves his swim lessons. I figured it would take him a few days to decide they were OK. Yesterday I took the boys to the pool and we had a splendid time. He enjoyed himself much more than before. Now we need to help Benjamin like the water... Never ending!
Benjamin charms people wherever he goes. While visiting my mother in the hospital the other day, we were there while Elder and Sister Perry paid Mom a visit too. He charmed their socks off! That's my Benjamin! He has transitioned his swagger to walking, since he no longer crawls. It basically looks like he's dancing and walking at the same time. Pretty hilarious! Both he and his brother are fascinated with construction tractors and get excited every time we pass the high school where they're putting in astro turf. Thomas the Train has quite the fan base at our house too. We will start the Mom-tot swim class with him a week from tomorrow. Should be an adventure!
Tyler came home early from work today sick. He's been in a area of the prison lately where there is no AC and with this heat wave, no wonder! It reminded me of when I had to adjust to the heat on my mission in Brazil. That was an interesting challenge and I distinctly remember praying that my body would adjust. Tyler is doing well, overall. He loves his job and seeing this deep level of satisfaction for him is so rewarding. I see things in him I didn't know existed and I love him that much more.
I'm doing pretty average. My mom had heart surgery on Tuesday and is in recovery, doing well. I've been to see her every day since and the boys enjoy going too, the few times I've taken them. She's such a trooper and has a serious amount of grit. I'm excited to run the Riverton 10K this Thursday for Independence Day and continue doing summertime activities with my children. I want to take them to the mountains and continue to go swimming a lot. I'm looking forward to painting the dining area soon and getting a new table and chairs. There's always lots of yard work to do and cleaning, etc. Basically, I'm just enjoying life in the simple lane. No real training, just living in the moment, the best I can.
We are richly blessed! The timer to the oven is beeping telling me the chicken nuggets are done. What a Sunday dinner! With Tyler sick, it's not as fun to make a super yummy dinner, so I'll just cook myself a salmon burger and let the kids eat dinosaurs. At least they'll get green beans. That should compensate, right? Cheers to summertime!
Derek started his 1st swim lessons this past week. The 1st 2 days were interesting. I could readily tell that he was the least comfortable in the water, but he was mostly obedient to his teacher. The 2nd day I forced his swim clothes on him and carried him to the car. He was completely unaffected by my efforts to leave without him, hoping he'd want to come. That trick quickly died in flames- at least for that. But, now he loves his swim lessons. I figured it would take him a few days to decide they were OK. Yesterday I took the boys to the pool and we had a splendid time. He enjoyed himself much more than before. Now we need to help Benjamin like the water... Never ending!
Benjamin charms people wherever he goes. While visiting my mother in the hospital the other day, we were there while Elder and Sister Perry paid Mom a visit too. He charmed their socks off! That's my Benjamin! He has transitioned his swagger to walking, since he no longer crawls. It basically looks like he's dancing and walking at the same time. Pretty hilarious! Both he and his brother are fascinated with construction tractors and get excited every time we pass the high school where they're putting in astro turf. Thomas the Train has quite the fan base at our house too. We will start the Mom-tot swim class with him a week from tomorrow. Should be an adventure!
Tyler came home early from work today sick. He's been in a area of the prison lately where there is no AC and with this heat wave, no wonder! It reminded me of when I had to adjust to the heat on my mission in Brazil. That was an interesting challenge and I distinctly remember praying that my body would adjust. Tyler is doing well, overall. He loves his job and seeing this deep level of satisfaction for him is so rewarding. I see things in him I didn't know existed and I love him that much more.
I'm doing pretty average. My mom had heart surgery on Tuesday and is in recovery, doing well. I've been to see her every day since and the boys enjoy going too, the few times I've taken them. She's such a trooper and has a serious amount of grit. I'm excited to run the Riverton 10K this Thursday for Independence Day and continue doing summertime activities with my children. I want to take them to the mountains and continue to go swimming a lot. I'm looking forward to painting the dining area soon and getting a new table and chairs. There's always lots of yard work to do and cleaning, etc. Basically, I'm just enjoying life in the simple lane. No real training, just living in the moment, the best I can.
We are richly blessed! The timer to the oven is beeping telling me the chicken nuggets are done. What a Sunday dinner! With Tyler sick, it's not as fun to make a super yummy dinner, so I'll just cook myself a salmon burger and let the kids eat dinosaurs. At least they'll get green beans. That should compensate, right? Cheers to summertime!
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