Nathan Klyn

I know these picture are all pretty much the same, but this will give you an idea of what we see whenever Nathan is awake. Smiles. He smiles and smiles and even if he is tired and hungry if you smile at him you will get one in return. I think this last shot of him he is working on his hula dance.

One of my friends mentioned that I don't post enough of Nathan... so here you go. :) Hope you're satisfied Annie!

The Sauna

So, at the gym I go to there is a dry sauna. It is in the ladies dressing room and sometimes after a workout I will go in there and just relax or read a book. I just wear my gym clothes. Since my friend Ruth has been going to the gym with me, we have been having lots of fun trying out new classes, working our abs until we can't stand it, and playing racquetball left-handed (her right hand hurts her). The other day we decided to go into the sauna. So, in my gym clothes, I proceeded to walk into the sauna. Ruth just gave me this look like I was crazy. Later when I was telling my other friend Lisa about it, she said everyone at the gym must think I'm a homophobe. So apparently you don't go into a sauna fully clothed, you're supposed to just wear a towel and nothing else. Who knew? Not this Idaho farmgirl.

Romance

Last night I got a babysitter and met up with Scott at work. We took a quick train ride into the city (NYC) and met up with some friends. We went ice skating, visited the tree at the Rockefeller Center, and looked at the windows at Saks 5th Ave. I have to say, it was the epitome of romance. Oh yeah, we also got dinner and cheesecake. The weather was incredible, and the company was even better. There is nothing I love more than spending time with my guapo!

Gooding

I got my camera back a few weeks ago, but I have been a big slacker getting anything posted. Here is the photo journal from our stay in Gooding Idaho. The wonderful place I grew up.


These are the apples drying that I made.

Using this machine.

Jeff was a pro.

This is the quilt I made (with mom's help).

We used this machine.

And this one too. It quilts it for you so you don't have to. My kind of quilting. :)

We stayed at this farm house (aka, my home in Gooding).

With this farmer (aka my dad). And yes, he has on both a ball cap as well as a cowboy hat. Its the new style in Gooding these days. So if you go visit, make sure you wear both or you just wont fit in.

So we all had to wear this farmer/cowboy hat.

Even Jeff.
Now that we are home and potty training. Jeff likes to wear this hat.

Another gym post

I know, I know... I already wrote about the gym. But this is something I have to get off my chest.

I have this thing when I go to the gym. I like to think of myself as a confident fit girl. But lets be honest... I am anything but fit right now which naturally makes me a little self conscience (as I believe most women are). The thing that makes me even more self conscious is all the skinny women at the gym. People, where are all the not-so-fit-and-attractive looking folks? I think I saw one fat guy at the gym the entire time I was there today. I mean honestly, can't fat people work out too?

The next thing that makes me a little self conscious is that I don't really know what I'm doing. I actually have to read the instructions on a lot of the machines. I try to make it look like I'm not. Sometimes I scope out the room to make sure no one else is watching before I look at the little diagrams and stuff. I don't know why, but I want people to think I am totally knowledgeable on the whole working out thing. I really don't even know what kinds of exercising I should be doing to reach my goals. Heck, I don't even really know what my goals are. All I know is that I love going to the gym everyday (for the past two days). It just feels good, even though I don't fit in.

So, where I don't know so much... anybody want to share the secrets to fitness and skinniness and getting into the "in" crowd at the gym. (Just joking on that last part). Once they see my mad yogalaties skills tomorrow morning, I'm bound to have all kinds of people want to be my friend. By the way, what are yogalaties?

The Gym

So, I have been inspired by my friend Christine who is a gym fanatic. She has gone to the gym almost every day for the past two years. Seriously!

I've decided to try and follow in her footsteps. I got a one week free trial at a gym nearby that has free babysitting. I had to wait until Nathan was six months old to go (he's still only 5 1/2) but he is so big and happy that they cleared him. :)

The first day I had my backpack filled with all my stuff, a diaper bag filled with all the kids stuff, Nathan in a car seat, and Jeff running along side of me. I actually got a pretty good workout just getting into the building. I think I'm going to try and downsize my "stuff". Its just that I shower there and fix my hair because, hey free babysitting. If I were to bring the kids home and try and grab a shower and a fix my hair, forget it!

All in all it is a great thing. I get a break from the kids and I get in some great exercise. The kids get a break from me, and they also get to learn how to interact (read, hold their own) with other kids. I love it. I'm sore, but I love it!

Thanks Christine!

Mess!

As a parent, I always worry if I'm doing things right. Do I give my child enough attention? Do I give him guidance that will help him turn out to be a decent human being? Well folks, here is a success story for you.

Jeff and I were at the store on Wednesday doing a little last minute grocery shopping. I had Nathan with me too so once we got the groceries in, Jeff had no place to sit in the cart. So he had to walk along side the cart and hang on (help me push) the cart. As we were walking out of the store Jeff yells, "Mom! Mess!" "Oh no! Mess!" He proceeded to run over and pick up a dropped receipt and put it in the garbage. A lady coming out of the store saw the whole thing. I'll admit, I couldn't have been more proud.

I was pretty impressed with myself until Scott made the comment later, " You know, with parents like us he might just turn out to be pretty OCD". I decided that wouldn't be too bad, as long as he is OCD about folding laundry, washing dishes, sweeping floors and stuff like that.

So, should I be worried or will he turn out okay?

Robbed

So, you are probably wondering why you haven't been getting any cute pictures to see on this blog. Here is the story to explain it all...

I have lived in New Jersey (thought by many to be one of the most criminal-stricken states in the union) for over a year now. I don't lock my door during the day when I leave (I do now), I don't always lock my car if it is parked in front of the house (I do now), and I am not afraid to go out with my kids by myself for a walk (still not).

But all of that has changed. My car got broken into. The thief stole my portable dvd player, my digital camera, my makeup, and my scriptures. Ouch. When I first realized what happened, I just wanted to cry because I felt so violated. Why would anyone do that?

I had never had anything like this happen in the last year and half that I have lived here. Why now? I'll tell you why... its because I got robbed in the wonderful, peaceful, safe state of Utah!!! That's right. A year and a half in Jersey, not theft. One night in West Jordan, Utah... and I get hammered.

Thankfully, the story doesn't end too badly. The wonderful West Jordan Police saved the day. They caught the guy and got my stuff back. Now I just have to send them a check to cover shipping and they will send it all back to me.

The moral of the story... Lock your doors (even in Utah), don't steal, and always report crimes to the Police because they just might be able to catch the crook!

I'm home

Ever since I "grew up" and moved out of my parents house I have always wondered where home is. If I listen to the the cliche saying "Home is where the heart is" I just get confused. I've been thinking about this and wondering just how I decide what to call home.

Is it the place I spent the majority of my life? Is it the place where I spent my childhood. Is it the place where I became an independent person and started making all of my own decisions? Is it the place I like the best? Is it the place where I live now?

I'm sure most of you have been smart enough to figure out where you belong, but I think I just barely figured it out. I've narrowed it down to two possible solutions. Help me choose which it is.

1. Home is where Scott (insert your spouses name) is...
2. Home is where my bed is...

What's your vote?

In either case... I'm finally home from my vacation!

Great things about my vacation: saw lots of family and friends, showed my kids off to people I care about, spent some good times relaxing with Scott and the boys.

Not so great things: I got robbed of my digital camera, portable DVD player and makeup stuff. I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to.

All in all... a great trip!

Here are a few pictures of the fun we are having.

Jeff was superman for Halloween. It took a long time to convince (read: pin down) Jeff to put his cape on. Here is his version of flexing his muscles.

Trick-or-treating. I love this picture. It shows off the beautiful Idaho sky. You can see my hair cut too.

Jeff watching his new friend eat some lunch.

Jeff fell in love with this cat. He packed him around all day long. The poor kitty didn't even protest, scratch, or run for its life. Sadly... the cat is missing. Perhaps he is too scared to come back while he sees Jeff around.

Still in Idaho

Jeff, Nate, and I are still in Idaho. Scott had to go home on the 25th. It was a sad sad day. The boys and I will be here in Idaho/Utah until November 11th and we have had a great time! We have spent a ton of time with family, some time with friends... and no time on blogging. :)

We are having so much fun we haven't had time to post. But if I remember to take pictures, I'll post them when I get home or if things slow down at all.

If you live in Rexburg, Gooding, or Salt Lake/Provo call me so we can see if see if we can get together to see each other. That's assuming I know who you are. :)

If you don't have my number, email me and I will give it to you. sadie_goddard@yahoo.com

Ode to Idaho... and Utah too!

I love Idaho! There are so many great things about it. Here are a few...

-Lots of my family and friends live there

-BYU-Idaho is located there (the best place to go to college, ever)

-There's lots of wide open spaces and you can see for miles and miles

-You can ride your neighbor's horse because your dad gives him (your neighbor) hay

-There are lots of tractors, trucks, and the sort

-You can see the stars almost every night of the year

-People take life and nice easy pace

-The UPS guy knows you and will give you your package if he sees you in town instead of driving all the way out to your house.

-The mail lady gives you suckers if you meet her at the mailbox (and are six years old or less)

-Dogs are out on the loose and not caged up in a house or in a back yard

-Dogs don't wear clothes

-Everyone waves at you if you drive your dad's beat up pickup

These are just a few of the reasons that came to mind.

I like Utah too. Its nice. I just don't give my heart to it the way I do Idaho. One of the perks of Utah... Cafe' Rio!

We're visiting soon. Oct 15 to Nov 11. I'll try to keep up on my blog... but no promises. :)

Quirky

Here are the rules:
Link the Person who Tagged you.
Mention rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.

1. I'm weird about cheese. Here are a few of the travesties that could happen to a block of cheese that would require me to turn up my nose to eating it:
It could get touched by someones fingers and as a result get that yucky satin look to it.
It could be cut into by a knife that was used on something other than cheese.
It could be on a sandwich for more than three minutes.
It could be cut too thin.
It could be cut too think.
It could get too dry.
It could get soggy.
Basically anything could make me turn my nose up, but it is still one of my favorite things to eat.

2. Getting rid of things one of my favorite things to do. I absolutely love it. When I get into one of my moods I have been known to throw out things that we use on a regular basis. Like a toaster that still works just fine. I often go through my closet, the kids toy box, my furniture, and anything else I can pick up and either put on the curb or in my trunk. The only thing that is free from being tossed is something with sentimental value. I still have cards, letters, and movie tickets from when I was in high school. That being said, once I can't remember why I have that sentimental-value-worthy item... it gets tossed too.

3. This one is really embarrassing... but I'll tell you anyway. Just don't judge me too harshly. I like to clean out peoples ears. Not only that, but I get really excited when the q-tip comes out with a big chunk of wax. I also check out peoples ears (without them knowing). I just have this thing about clean ears. I try to clean my husbands... but he hasn't given in to me on that one yet. Thankfully he already has clean ears. Since he wont let me get my fix with his ears, I clean out my boys' ears. I know all about how your not supposed to use q-tips and all that stuff, but I can't help it. I think it stems from when I was little and my mom would clean out all of our ears.

4. I'm a little OCD (self-proclaimed). I have to have everything in my house just right. If Jeff moves his toys into the wrong area of the room. I have to fix it. If The blanket on the bed is too far to one side... it drives me crazy. The books on our bookshelf are in order from tallest to shortest from left to right. They are also all flush with each other. The chairs to our table are all tucked in unless we are sitting in them. The only thing that is in complete disarray (on purpose) is the fridge. Even our junk drawer is organized.

5. I hate crying in front of people. I don't even like crying in front of my husband. Often I wait until I am in bed and he is asleep to let my tears out. If I can't hold back until he is away, I bury my face in his chest while he holds me so he can't see. I don't know why this is. It might be that I hate the way my face looks when I cry. It could be that I like to be thought of as a tough girl who doesn't have any weaknesses. It could be that when people see me cry, it only adds fuel to the fire. I don't know exactly why... but I do know that if you see me cry there is really something wrong. There are only two exceptions. When I am at the movies or in church.

6. (Scott recommended this one) My singing. I sing opera style when I get excited or am really happy. I try to make it sound as bad as possible so there is no mistaking that I am actually trying to sound good. I only really do it around Scott and the boys. Jeff has picked up on it and does it too. We hope that he will be blessed with Scott's musical talents, but if not... he can enjoy is ugly opera singing with me.

I tag... Charis, Amy Johnson, Amie Nelson, Rachel Loser, Rachel Watson, Christine Velasco

A week in pictures

What is he doing? Maybe we should get a closer look...

Ah... one of my favorite views. The one where I can see him doing the dishes. I remember after reading a book called "The Five Love Languages" telling Scott how he could always tell me he loves me by doing the dishes. He hasn't forgotten.

Us being unsuccessful at taking a picture of ourselves. This was one of ten tries and sadly, the best one we got.

Jeff decided he wanted to pose for this picture. I don't know how he got the whole put-your-hands-behind-your-head pose. Nate just goes along with what Jeff says most days.

I tried to catch all three of my boys, but Jeff suddenly decided he was done being a cute model for me and took off to jump on the trampoline.

This is Nate enjoying his new blanket made by Grandma Goddard. He is such a happy little guy and absolutely loves attention. He will giggle and laugh anytime I look at him. He is also super ticklish.

Scott was getting Jeff ready for bed decided to make him a turban. I don't know where he gets his ideas. Every time I turn around he has a new funny thing he is doing with Jeff. He sure is a great daddy.

And of course, he had to take his turn wearing the turban. I love it! Watching Scott be a daddy is one of the coolest things ever.

Three years

Boogy boarding on the Oregon Coast a few weeks before we got engaged

I feel like I have so much to blog about. But, most important things first...

Yesterday Scott and I celebrated our three-year anniversary. My only request for a gift from him was that he write me a love letter. Throughout our courtship we wrote many letters to each other and I grew quite fond of them. I have a little box I keep all of them in. It was through those letters that I finally got over my ENORMOUS (so big I often threw up) fears of getting married. I cherish them. I absolutely love the way my sweetheart writes. It's like poetry.

So yesterday Scott instructed me to drop the boys off at the babysitters house at 6:30 and then drive to the train station to pick him up. When I picked him up he he surprised me with dinner at a restaurant that I have been wanting to go to.

While we were eating our chips and salsa before our meals came, Scott took my hand in his across the table (while I hurriedly ate the chip I was eating and then gave my hand back to him). He looked me in the eyes (and I nervously looked away) and told me he loved me (I smiled awkwardly) and then he pulled the letter out from behind his back. I read my sweet letter and loved it.

Scott can be so romantic and I just kill the moment (not on purpose). The first time he told me he loved me I literally laughed at him. It was a few weeks before I finally told him I loved him. Thankfully, he doesn't hold it against me.

After that we went home, changed our clothes, and went to play tennis. It was so much fun! To finish the night, we went to B&R for some ice cream.

I realize that our celebration for our anniversary may seem pretty lame compared to some things people do. Cruises, going to places with warm weather and nice beaches, or going to a themed hotel. But I have to say, I was perfectly content to spend a nice evening with my best friend and sweetheart without too much fanfare. Maybe I'm simple, but I'm happy.

My birthday

I had the best birthday yesterday! Scott stayed home from work and we spent the day together. We went to a zoo that is close to our house. It is a small zoo and there were hardly any people there since school started and the weather is a little bit cooler. We practically had the whole place to ourselves.

They have a cute train that goes all around the zoo. Jeff was terrified of it until we went for a ride and then he was very upset that we had to leave because he wanted another ride. They have smaller animals that are low maintenance. The coolest animals to see were the spider monkeys and the cougars. The cages are so close that you almost feel like you get to interact with them. THE cougar seemed to think that Jeff and Nate looked like lunch.

Later that night we went to a sports store to get some things with my birthday money (form my in-laws). I got this cool gyro ball that you spin in your hand and it builds up your muscles in your arms. It is really cool and Scott and I spent the rest of the night playing with it. We also got another piece of climbing gear so now all we need is a rope and we are ready to go. I saved some of my money to put toward that purchase. Soon we'll be ready to go climbing outdoor with all our own stuff. I'm way excited about that.

When we got home we ate some homemade ice cream that I made earlier that day with my new machine that Scott got for me. I loved it and the ice cream was great!

All in all, a very happy birthday. Also thanks to all those that called/emailed/texted/etc. to wish me a happy birthday. It made my day!

26

Today is my birthday. The funny part is that I forgot. Thankfully other people reminded me. Is that a sign of old age or what?

Berry picking

Today I went berry picking. In New Jersey berry picking entails driving and hour, getting car sick, paying $10 for two small cartons of raspberries you pick, driving another hour, getting even more car sick, and then being worn out when you get home.

All in all, it isn't as bad as I make it out to be, but it sure isn't like the days when I would pick raspberries with Grandma Cheney. She had a raspberry patch in her back yard and often times I would get recruited to go pick raspberries with her.

First we would get all the garb on. Long sleeve shirt (usually one of my grandpa's old shirts) rubber gloves (the cheap dish washing kind), a big straw hat, and the picking container. The picking container was either a gallon milk jug with the top cut off and a piece of fabric strung through the handle or a juice pitcher with the fabric strung through the handle.

I kind of felt like I was going on a jungle trek or something. Grandma always had a five gallon bucket for a stool and we would pick and pick and pick. When I was young and lazy, I hated it. I would pick for about three minutes and decide I was worn out. Looking back, I am so glad my grandma was insistent that I keep on working.

My Grandma Cheney passed away about a year and a half ago and I still remember the many things she taught me. In everything we did together on thing was a constant. Hard work. My favorite part about berry picking today was remembering those special times with grandma.

Tennis and blah blah blah

So I think my approach to fitness is to spend some time each day doing something. Yesterday it was playing tennis with my landlady. She's not your typical landlady. Her name is Karen. She lives above us with her husband and they don't have any kids of their own. She actually comes down almost every day at about five to take Jeff out to play.... for almost two hours.

Jeff loves it, I love it, and Karen loves it. For her, it is the perfect way to unwind after a long day. For me too.

So, lets get back to the tennis now... I lack tennis skills. Luckily Karen is a crazy athlete (almost went to the Olympics in team handball but the USA didn't go that year for political reasons) and a great teacher. She worked with me on not hitting the ball over the fence at the unsuspecting people walking on the track. I'm happy to report that I almost beat her at one game last night. Out of five, I almost beat her in one. I think we'll try to go once a week so. I'm really excited about it.

So, going back the whole budget thing. I got a cheap racket from K-mart for $13. Add in the three quarters to turn on your lights... I think I just discovered he cheapest date night imaginable. It practically pays for its self in the long run. Sure you have the initial investment for the racket and the balls, but after that you get a $.75 date night.

And, just so ya'll know, I think we will splurge this year for the pumpkins. Oh, and another cool thing. A girl in my ward who live close by (less than 30 minutes unlike everyone else) needs help getting home from volleyball practice. So, (once we get a second car) I will pick her up from practice and she will come watch the boys for an hour while I go run, and then I'll take her home. And this wonderful service is provided by this girl FOR FREE!!! I offered to pay her as per mamabear's insightful comment on my running blog, but she refused. Sheesh, I have all the luck.
I realize I just covered about thirty topics in one post... I'm feeling a little scattered today. :) To add to the randomness, here's a picture of my adorable little brother Brett who gets home from his mission in a month. This was taken on my wedding day... not in my wedding dress.

The Budget

I'm pretty fanatical about our budget. I have a great program that I love (you can read all about it on ynab.com) and I am addicted to keeping it up to date and watching every dime that enters/exits our bank accounts online.

When Scott and I first moved here we knew we would have to be pretty careful with our expenditures because things would be tight for a while. We were so incredibly frugal/cheap that when Scott mentioned getting pumpkins to carve for family night I took one look at the budget and told him it just wasn't going to happen. Scott still wont let me live this one down.

Over the past year we have be blessed to have received a few raises that have made us feel like we didn't' have to worry so much about keeping to our budget as strictly. In short, we got lazy and started spending more and more money.

Well, Saturday morning I started telling Scott about all the fun things I wanted to buy and he promptly said we should go over our budget in our Sunday meeting. Ironically at Church that night (we had Stake Conference) or Stake President challenged us to do a few things, one of which was to set a date to be debt free and if we were already debt free to build up our savings. I knew for sure at this point that I probably wasn't going to get a new wardrobe or a super-nice minivan.

We went over the budget last night and we decided to cinch up our belts and work on living below our means. Our goal: to save up for a down payment on a house. Scott knows how to get me on the bandwagon. There isn't much I am more motivated to save for than a house. Except for perhaps enough land that we can get a horse to go with our house.

So, I'm still not sure if we will be getting pumpkins this year to carve or if we will look at the budget and decide it just isn't worth it to make memories with our family when we could put that $3.75 into our "house savings account".

What ways have you found to cut costs without cutting out the fun.

Something

Scott said that our plain 'ol black background was just not good enough. He said we need to have something a little more something. So, you may not recognize this blog at first, but it is still us. We are still the same people wearing the same clothes eating the same things for dinner. We just decided that something in our lives needed to change and I guess the blog got it. Let me know if you can't read it well with the new colors so I can change anything that needs it.

You know how if you say a word over and over again and look at it and then say it a few more times it doesn't' even seem to be English anymore. I think I just did that with the word something. What a weird word.

Running

I know most of you couldn't care less about my running schedule, but I am just so happy about my small steps of progress that I have to report about it. Plus, I feel like if I am announcing to everyone that I am running, then I will feel a stronger obligation to actually get out and do it.

I also thought, that if any of you out there are trying to start running (either again, or for the first time) you can know that you are not the only one out there that is struggling with it. I am by no means writing this post as a brag about my mad running skills, quite the contrary. I am writing this post to give others hope (an mostly myself motivation).

So, on Saturday I went out and ran for the second time since (I am sad to report) a few months before I found out I was expecting Nathan. So, that would make it well over a year since I have really done any consistent running. One of the biggest struggles to date has been finding a time when I can get out. Having two young children makes this feat a little tough. I run (no pun intended) into the problem that when Scott is home and able to take care of the boys, I want to be spending that time with him. I have decided that I can spare half an hour three or four times a week to get out.

I started my run at about 10 a.m. in 98% humidity. Wow, I was feeling like I had worked really hard because I was sweating so much. I ran a whole mile and a quarter. I ran on the track and that was nice because everything else here is a hill. It was hard. I was tired, and I got discouraged when old people kept passing me. But, I put my pride aside and lumbered around the track 5 times. I kind of wished I could have worn a sign on my back that said, "I just had a baby two and half months ago," just so people would know a little background story to why I was breathing so hard while going so slow.

On Monday, I went out and ran again. It was awesome! I went in the evening. It was a beautiful cool night and just barely dark. I ran a mile and a half. With my ipod turned up and the dark settling in, it seemed like the laps just flew by. I totally recommend running at night (but not too late, cause the Boogy Man will get you).

So, that's my running blog. Sorry if you actually read this whole thing. It really is for me. I hope you will forgive me for the wordy post about my struggle to fitness success. But, just to make things fair, what things have you done when you start up a new regime of exercise to keep it going. Oh, yeah, and tell me your struggles too, just so I know I'm not alone. :)

Temper Tantrum

I didn't really know that when my son turned two we would start experiencing temper tantrums... or rather, that I would be the one mood swings. I always assumed that he would be the one doing all of the screaming and kicking while lying on the floor of a supermarket while onlookers judged my bad parenting skills.

What I have realized is that I have had a few of my own temper tantrums. I don't kick and scream so much as I get frustrated. Frustrated that I am not nearly as good of a parent as I thought I would be before I had kids. Frustrated that I can't keep both boys completely happy all the time. Frustrated that sometimes I want to sleep instead of take care of my boys.

And then the next day comes and my little boys are happy, and they are doing everything right, and I realize that this parenting stuff isn't quite as hard as I thought it was the day before. In fact, I think it can be pretty easy. In fact, I can't imagine my life without them here showing me their beautiful personalities.

It all comes down to this... some days are hard and some days are easy. With parenting comes some of the toughest days I have known, but also some of the greatest joys I have experienced.

Back in Shape

So, I haven't mentioned this on the blog yet, but Scott and I are doing Weight Watchers. We aren't going to meetings, but rather having our own little meetings on Sunday nights. We weigh in and do measurements. We put all that data into a spreadsheet in the computer and we get to see how well (or not so well) we are doing.

We have been going for four weeks now. Last week wasn't so good for me. In fact, it was pretty much terrible. But this week I have been doing better. I have been keeping track of what I eat more, and have been staying under my Points allotment.

In addition to a change in our "style" of eating, I am trying to exercise more. I saved up my budgeted "play money" for a few months (plus a little extra from the "household" budget because I got impatient) and got an ipod shuffle. I got a few songs off of itunes and tonight I had my first run with my new gear. It felt great! I ran a little over a mile (uphill both ways) and did a round of crunches on my exercise ball.

I am by no means and Olympic athlete, but I have ambitions to be able to run in a race next summer. It is called The Ragnar. You can look it up if you are interested. Scott and I are on a team to run 180 miles. There are 12 team members and we each run three legs of the race. All three legs (of the race that is) combined will be about 13 miles. It usually takes about 24 hours for a team to finish and we go all day and all night. I guess you literally run, sleep, and drive your shift of the team van. We are totally unprepared and excited! So, hence begins the "getting back in shape" adventure.

I don't now why, but I have been using an abundant amount of quotation marks. I think it is out of my system now.

So, what are you all doing to be/get in shape. Any encouraging words? Words of wisdom?

A picture update

The two boys in the buff being buff. Look at the definition on that double chin Nate's got going on there. Besides that, look at the precious smiles both have... oh man, just looking at them makes me melt.

He's got the kid potty, the reading material, a positive attitude... but no poop on the potty yet.

Oh man, I just can't get over how cute this kid is. Especially when he has "I love mommy" plastered on his chest.

And that smile... it melts my heart just as much if not more that the little boys' smiles. Life is so good because of that smile. Wow, what a hotty!!!

This is one of Jeff's favorite hats (aka a tub toy). He has started a stage that whenever we go somewhere, he has to wear a hat. It has been tricky to convince him that we don't wear hats to church. The other day he tried to go outside with his shoes, a diaper, and a hat. It didn't happen. He got stuck with a few other items of clothing too.

I realize that my kids are naked in 99% of the photos I have posted here. Just know that we are doing okay financially and we do have clothes for our kids, we just choose to live life a natural.

Memories

This sounded like fun. Play along if you like!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, if you feel inspired, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

New Post

So, I just can't have that spider post up anymore... but I don't have anything to post about really. So, what should one do in a predicament like this one? I guess all you can really do is blab on and on about nothing until there is enough text to justify a post. I don't think I have quite reached the required quota so I will tell you more useless and uninteresting things for a bit longer. Ah, that just might be enough. Hope you are all doing well and that you had a great weekend.

I hate spiders

My entire life, back to as young as I can remember I have been afraid of spiders. I blame it mostly on my sissy sister (she's not really a sissy, she had four babies without an epidural) because she would always make me go down in the root cellar to get bottle food because she was too afraid of the spiders.

Over the years I have wondered how much I really am afraid of spiders. Mostly, I thought I kept up the attitude I was afraid to give my darling husband a way to protect me. It was fun to let him take the lead on taking care of any of our eight legged, not so much friends.

Well, last night I learned that my fear of spiders is alive and well. As I was sitting on the futon in the spare bedroom feeding Nathan at 3:30 in the morning, I noticed a big bug crawling around on the floor. I thought it could be a spider, but the lights were down low so I wasn't sure. Once I got done feeding Nate I decided I could handle this guy. As I got close, I realized that it was a big hairy spider. I thought, "I'll be a toughy and kill this thing". I tried, but thankfully he got away. I was a little freaked out that I didn't know where he was so I told Scott when I went back to bed that he would have to get Nate if he started to cry.

Not too long later Nate needed help so Scott got up to take care of him. I could see into the hallway from my bed and I kept an eye out for that big nasty thing. He came out! I yelled to Scott and he grabbed a shoe to squish it. I came closer to make sure he killed it real good. He nailed with the shoe, and then the thing EXPLODED into millions of baby spiders. At this point, I gracefully sprinted back to my bed, jumped in, curled into the fetal position and began bawling my eyes out.

It was more than an hour later before I was able to calm down enough to go back to sleep. Before I got out of bed this morning Scott swept up the spider carcases (he killed all the babies he could), threw away the broom, used pine sol and a sponge the clean up the floor, threw away the sponge, and took out the garbage.

So I figure out that it was a wolf spider and they are unique in that they carry their young on their abdomen. NASTY!!! I think I can recover with time and lots of therapy.

Here is a picture so you can see how hideous this thing is. I hate spiders.

Pioneer Day

For the 24th of July Scott took the day off work to celebrate our pioneer heritage. We took a little family trip to the Delaware Water Gap. It is on the boarder of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Simply beautiful! We want to go back soon.

"Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked." He hiked up these stairs all by himself and even used the handrail.

"Here comes the ox cart oh so slow" We found a trail that worked great for our jogger. Nate is the little lump of blankets on the right side. :) He is such a trooper to go on all these adventures with us as such a young age. He never complains.

Scott and I are trying to learn how to do the self-photo thing. This is the best one after many attempts to not cut off the top of Scott's head. We'll keep trying.

This is about as pioneer as we get. We have a garden this year... It is so fun to watch it grow. Jeff loves to water it. He also enjoys eating suckers. We put the two together and it is a great combination.

For Christine

My friend Christine loves to wash her car. She probably does so once or twice a week. She even believes that she gets better gas mileage when her car is clean so she never goes on a trip without first washing her car.

I washed my car on Saturday. Our car has not been "technically" washed in about a year. But, let me just say that it rains so much here that you don't have to wash your car so much. So, I don't feel like I have been losing out on better gas mileage.

Christine, this post is for you. You can be proud that I am on the road to washing my car twice a year. :) All in your honor.

Hill Cumorah

The boys and the campfire.

The amazing stage from the third row (yep we were spoiled, our friends hooked us up)

Jeff loved the pageant. He got so excited he would clap with joy. He stayed awake through the whole thing.

This is a great photo Katie took of the Sacred Grove. I only wish I could get it to rotate so it isn't sideways... but you can still appreciate the beauty. :) Just turn your head ever so slightly (read 90 degrees) to the left.

All in all, we had a great trip to Palmyra. It was our first camping trip with Nathan... and Jeff for that matter. It went so well, we might go camping for the 24th of July too. We are determined that even with little kids, we will enjoy the great outdoors and anything else that would be fun.

Jeff's Birthday

Jeff turned two years old on July 10th. We had a little family party for him. Nothing like the parties most easterners have for their kids, but at least he got a cake... right. :)

This is my first attempt at doing a "cute" cake for a birthday. I used Jeff's Elmo as my inspiration. You can't really tell in this picture, but the eyes and nose are 3D. Yay for me and trying to become a cutesy mom. :)

We went to Central Park and had a picnic. Cousin Kate had never been yet, so it was a fun little trip into the city.

Jeff got a trampoline from us for his birthday. I thought since he was constantly jumping off the couch, he would love it. Today he has spent most of his time jumping on and off the couch, so we'll see if he starts jumping more on his tramp soon.

Jeff got tagged

Okay, so this will be fun. My friend Dallas tagged Jeff (really me) to write eleven things about him. So, here we go.

1. Jeff naturally attracts people to him. At church he has a following of other kids that just love to play with him. Young men in the ward will pick him up and play with him, kids just older than him will play with him. They all love him. I am still trying to figure out exactly what it is that Jeff has or does that attracts so many people to him. I have had many people tell me they would watch Jeff anytime because he is such an easy going kid to have around. I hope to one day bottle whatever it is that Jeff is doing to sell to business professionals who want to do networking or something.

2. Everyone thinks Jeff has an unusually sized head for his age, but I just want to set the record strait and let you all know that he is in the 50th percentile for head size... which equates to perfectly normal. :)

3. Jeff had the be the cutest baby ever born. He had a full head of long hair that was light brown with blond ends. It was sticky out in every direction. He looked like a little surfer boy.

4. Jeff is my Grandpa Cheney's 76th decedent. He keeps track of his numbers pretty closely. We were hoping to get the 75th slot, but we missed it by one. Jeff even tried to do his part to get the number 75 by coming a month early, but it didn't quite cut it.

5. Jeff absolutely loves being a big brother. Every morning he comes out of his room and looks for Baby Nate. He looks in all the spots he could be to see if he can find Nate. He also tries to nurse Nathan. A little worrisome, but I think he has stopped. He has never shown any amount of hostility toward Nathan. Once, I thought Jeff tried to hit Nate, but then I realized that he was giving his bro a high five.

6. Jeff eats like crazy!!! I will feed him his breakfast and then when I get mine, he wants to eat part of mine too. Then Scott will come out and eat his breakfast and Jeff will want part of his too. He just loves to eat. Thankfully he has his dad's metabolism so he isn't too chunky. ;)

7. Jeff loves to run and play and jump. He is pretty fearless and very capable. He loves to throw balls, kick balls, and play catch. Sometimes he doesn't wait for others to catch and that causes a few problems. Especially for unsuspecting kiddos in nursery.

8. Jeff doesn't like to have dirty hands. He hates weird textures on his skin. I hope he outgrows it because beach going is a little crazy when he wont play in the sand.

9. Everyone says that Jeff looks just like Scott. EVERYONE!!! Sometimes I feel like I had nothing to do with getting the kid here because he is "all Scott". I only really see it when he smiles, but apparently he is a mini Scott.

10. In his two short years Jeff has lived on the west coast (California) and the east coast (New Jersey). He also had a 10 month stint in Utah. Poor kid is almost a military brat.

11. Jeff (and now Nathan too) is the light of our lives. He brings so much joy and happiness to us. We are so grateful that he is a part of our family.