Crazy Week.

I have six days to have the house packed up. Ross and the two girls leave a week from today, and I want it done before they leave so that I'll have a couple days to clean everything. Since every story has a bit of humor to it, here's how my week from Hell has been, climaxing with this morning.

The night before last, Aoife threw up BIG TIME around 9:30. It continued every 15 minutes throughout the ENTIRE night. Needless to say, by morning, I was running on fumes. Neither of us had slept. She was miserable and STILL throwing up. I took her in to the doctor at 11. They decided to keep her to watch her for a little more than an hour. (We spent almost 2 1/2 hours at the office, people!) I was to feed her 1 teaspoon of Pedialyte every five to 8 minutes. Claire screamed the whole time out of boredom, and Aoife screamed the whole time due to hunger and feeling miserable. I can't count how many times nurses stuck their heads in the door to check on us. They probably thought I was breaking my children's fingers, one at a time. I wanted to scream and cry, too.

The doctor decided to let us go home for a little break. She said it was because we lived so close, but I'm thinking it's because we were giving her a headache. Aoife was so exhausted, I just put her down. Claire did her usual thing while I attempted to clean and pack a little more. And eat. Lately I've been so occupied, I forget to eat.

I was on a roll cleaning the girl's room. (See earlier posts about Claire protesting naps for pictures, and you'll understand what a project it really is.)  I checked the clock and realized Aoife had been sleeping for over three hours! It usually isn't like her, so I went to check on her. Sometimes when she takes long naps, I automatically assume she has died. Much to my heart's relief, she wasn't dead. But there were a couple different puddles of vomit. I hadn't fed her since we'd been in the office, so she hadn't kept those 6 teaspoons of fluid down.

I called the doctor again, and she immediately sent us to have her blood drawn. A sweet friend took Claire for me, and even picked up Ross from work. (Thank you Jenna! I was a frantic mess yesterday!) When I took Aoife in, the nurses had a REALLY hard time finding a vein. I mean, one arm was impossible, and the other they had to wrap the elastic around her little arm extra tight. I had to pin her down when they put the needle in, but they still couldn't find a vein! They dug around with the needle for a while until they finally hit one. Her blood came out so slowly, like molasses or jelly, I was surprised they got enough to test. I felt so bad for the poor girl.

We had to wait FOREVER for the results to come back. The nurses and doctor even called down to the lab multiple times to tell them to hurry up. Aoife couldn't stay awake at this point, and I thought for sure they'd admit her. We were the last people in the office, aside for a couple nurses, and her two doctors. When the results came, her two doctors debated for a while. Dr. Later was going to Mt. Timp hospital for a few hours. They would have admitted her at that hospital so that he in particular could watch over Aoife, but her insurance didn't cover that hospital. Instead, Sue-Ann, her other doctor, gave me her cell phone number. I was to watch Aoife for the next few hours. If she were to get sick again, I'd give her doctor a call, and Aoife would be admitted to Utah Valley.

Luckily last night went smoothly and Aoife slept soundly, without getting sick. This morning even went well, too. I was supposed to only feed her a tiny bit of Pedialyte, but I could tell Aoife was well past hungry. I gave her a full bottle of it instead, and she has kept it down so far!

This morning I drove Ross to work. Our gas gauge was low, but the light hadn't come on yet. I had planned on getting gas on the way home, after dropping Ross off. There's a gas station right on the way home, but it's usually more expensive than one down the street. I drove past that station, turned to go down the street to the other station, and... put put put. I managed to pull to the side of the road, before the car refused to go any further. Right in front of my beloved Sonic. (It was a sign. I wasn't going to get one today.) I pulled out the stroller, loaded the girls, and walked to the station I had passed just mere minutes before.

They didn't have a canister I could borrow, so we trudged to the store to buy one. Then back to the station to fill it. Then back to the car. I've never run out of gas before. Ever. I've never even had to fill a lawn mower with gas. And the canister I bought didn't have the spout on the end. It was one that you kind of had to build the spout. I spent forever on the side of the road trying to figure out the stupid thing.

A gentleman quickly pulled up behind me and asked if I needed him help. Gratefully, I handed the spout over. He couldn't figure it out either and left as quickly as he came. At least he unscrewed the thing before he drove off! I decided to just try to get SOMETHING in the tank, so I could drive the 100 yards to the station and fill up. I ended up soaked in gasoline on the side of the road, just PRAYING that no one would drive past and throw a lit cigarette out the window. Otherwise, I'd light up the block like the 4th of July!

I managed to get something in there, and was able to fill up. Then I pulled into Sonic claiming that I needed a LARGE Diet Coke.

How many idiots does it take to fill a gas tank? Well, just one. And the gentleman who tired quickly. But I have officially joined the 'Lovelands who run out of gas club".

This week has been hysterical. It's funny how all of the chaos decided to wait until the final days of moving prep. Bring it on world. I have a sonic across the street and a sense of humor the size of Texas.

Peter Pan.

I believe in Peter Pan. I love Peter Pan, and I'm fairly certain that book will forever be one of my favorites. I started reading it again a few days ago. And I think I'll cry every time I read the first paragraph.

"All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked a flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, 'Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!' This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end."

Claire is two. And is growing up. Aoife only has 15 months before she, too, will know that she must grow up.

Before Aoife was born, I had a very real concern. I constantly worried and wondered whether I would love this new baby as much as I loved Claire. (It sounds silly, but it was a constant worry.) It's difficult to explain a mother's love if someone hasn't experienced it. The second she was born, that silly worry disappeared. As she's grown and become a deeper, more important part of her family, I've fallen more and more in love with her.

Lately my favorite parts of my day have been putting her down from naps, or whisking her away to change a diaper. Not that I enjoy changing diapers, but the few minutes that I get to hold her close are what make the soiled diapers worth it. I've been squeezing my babies a little tighter, and lingering a little longer after I've laid them in their beds. I've even taken to singing them old choir songs. One laughs and stares at me with a gummy grin, while the other laughs even louder and asks for more.

I know I'm usually pretty cynical and joke about wanting to put my children in the dumpster on tough days, but I really do love them. Time has gone by so quickly, and I do wish they could stay little and young forever. Which brings me back to Peter Pan. I love the story of Peter Pan so much, I've planned out the nursery for number 3. (Whenever that happens. No, I'm not pregnant. I'm running a marathon in April, remember?)

This will be the bed room light. A pirate ship chandelier.

The rug, which will be in the center of the nursery.

The toy box.

Framed wall art.

More Framed Wall Art

The Nightlight

The silhouettes, but in black.

Pirate Wallpaper Trim, but I'd want it at the top of the wall as a boarder, rather than down the middle.

And one of these beauts on the wall, too.

And a crib set this wooden tone.

The crib wouldn't be complete without the mobile.

While I'm sure there is Peter Pan bedding out there, I've made the bedding for both Claire and Aoife. I feel like it's something special I can do for them, and I've loved making their quilts. So I'd do the same, with browns, and greens. Obviously I'm planning on #3 to be a boy. Again, I'm not pregnant, but I really do need to find a hobby. There's got to be something more productive for me to do than planning out our nonexistant child's nursery.

Last Day Of Classes

Today is Ross' last day of classes in his undergraduate career. I am so excited for him! A couple of his classes are having a potluck. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate! I am so proud of how hard he has worked these last few years. Since marrying me, he has taken on a job, always a large class load, two kiddos with diaper needs and mouths to feed, and all sort of challenges along the way. Earlier in the year, he had (I think 16 credits) was working 20 hours a week, and an internship which took up at least 20 hours of his week. Over the summer, he worked full time, and still had the internship, which was unpaid.

I know I couldn't have handled everything half as well as he has, and I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. He's done so well, he doesn't even have to take the final for a couple of his classes. Thank you, BYU, and Provo for a wonderful experience!

We were so grateful when he got the job offer from Epic, even before graduation. BYU has been such a blessing. I know many families are struggling to find jobs after graduating, and we feel so blessed to have this opportunity. I never thought I'd be sad to leave Provo, Utah, but shockingly, I am. I haven't finished my education, and I've come to realize what a blessing just the opportunity to get a higher education is. I'm so grateful Ross has had this opportunity to go to school and have a family. I couldn't be more proud of that man. I sure love you, Ross. Even when we play games together and I lose.

We are looking forward to a long wonderful Christmas vacation playing with our families and for the next chapter in our lives!

St. Nicholas Day 2012

I truly have the best family, ever. Today is St. Nicholas Day. Last night we left out our shoes, so St. Nicholas could come fill them with goodies. I knew Ross had been beyond busy with school, and I wanted to surprise him. I got to play St. Nicholas and pick out little presents and goodies for everyone, but I let Ross help me fill the shoes last night.

We went to bed pretty late, and right as we were falling asleep we heard a loud long sloshing sound. The first time it happened, I attributed it to the water softener going through its cleaning cycle, but when it happened again, I realized a child was throwing up.

We rushed Aoife into the tub, threw her bedding in the wash, and Ross even set up a mini bed for her and I on our floor. She was throwing up so often, I wanted to sleep close to her, so I could help her when things started happening. We took our mattress topper and set it next to our bed, layered it with towels, sheets, and blankets, and Aoife snuggled up for the night.

She ended up getting sick every 15-30 minutes. The poor girl was so exhausted, she was almost falling asleep in the middle of throwing up. We didn't sleep much, and I spent much of the night cleaning vomit, and cuddling and consoling poor Aoife.

We forgot to shut the girls' room door all the way when we first got Aoife. A little after 6, Claire came in with a chocolate beard and a fist full of candy asking for help. I was a little disappointed that she had discovered that St. Nicholas had in fact come, and that we didn't get to experience that with her, but she was so funny, it didn't really matter. After too many failed attempts to have her lie down and sleep a little longer, we came out front to the aftermath of Claire's St. Nicholas discovery. Our shoes, presents, and treats were scattered throughout the room, with a few candy wrappers here and there. She really does crack me up.

While Claire can always cheer Aoife up, Aoife was still just as sick as before and I decided to go out for some pedialyte. I opened the door and found that St. Nicholas had left us even more presents on our doorstep! Not only that, but the car was FILLED with MORE treats.

It was a wonderful surprise! I'm really going to miss having family nearby, especially when fun traditions roll around.

The after hours pediatric nurse was so quick to get back to me. I've been giving Aoife 1/4 t of Pedialyte every 15 minutes and will continue to do so for the next 4-6 hours, and she'll be going to the Dr. in about an hour. They're worried her stomach is having spasms, if that is the case, they might keep her for treatments.

If someone knows of a cloning machine ready for human trials, I'll gladly volunteer. I need one of me to pack, another to clean, one to clean vomit, another to cuddle and console the miserable Aoife, one to entertain and care for Claire, and yet another to go to the doctor for me, as I am sick, too! Oh, and another to keep my Sonic cup refilled. That would be wonderful.

Happy St. Nicholas Day! We will be spending it making a dent in our candy stash and watching Disney movies.

One Week Sans Diet Coke.

I'm fairly certain that before Ross and I were married, Diet Coke was my boyfriend. My one true love.

Anyway, with this move and crazy schedules and my alter-ego "psycho woman" popping up more often than usual, my diet coke habit went from bad, to REALLY bad. I hate to admit it, but the caffeinated divine soda turned into my own personal nicotine. And I used it like one would a cigarette. It was a huge problem.

Mind you, I'm also attempting to train for a marathon. I say attempt because schedules have been crazy and I haven't been able to lace up my shoes as often as I'd like. Not only did my beverage and exercise habits go down the toilet, but my nutrition did, too. I needed serious help.

Thankfully one of my girl friends is a dietician. Or nutritionist. I'm not such which they prefer to be called. And more thankfully she's also my neighbor. We'll call her Shannon since she doesn't know I'm writing this, and she did me a HUgE favor.

I started asking her questions a while ago and she graciously offered to give me a free consult. About a week ago she came over with a ton of forms and information for me specifically. Formulas for me and my goals.

I usually read labels at the grocery store, but I had no idea I was looking for the wrong things in the labels. She spent a good couple hours at my house. She taught me a lot and gave me specific directions on what I need to be eating to achieve my goals. She even went through the food in my house. As embarrassing and humiliating as it was to open my habits up as honestly as possible to a friend, I'm glad I did.

She took the time to run through all of the information and forms, teaching me as much as she could, like she would with any one of her patients. I cant thank her enough for taking all of that time to talk to me and she'll probably know how much she helped me that night. At the end, I made some specific goals with her. Nixing the diet coke was one of them.

With that, it's been one week. Seven days. I got one today to see if I'd still feel the same way about it and if I still NEEDED it. It didn't taste as good as I remembered and I probably won't get another for a while. I was thinking of going until my birthday without any soda, but couldn't think of a reward for myself. It's a lot easier to stick to something that's difficult if you have something to work towards.

This week was HARD. It was full of inconsolable headaches, exhaustion, and unsatisfied cravings. I'm sure being sick didn't help either. I didn't even get a drink for my drive to or from Park City for Black Friday shopping. I was really impressed with myself.

I've decided to go ahead and continue sans diet coke until my birthday, but until I think of a reward, the reward will be myself. I once went a year without chocolate and noticed a change in my body. I'm curious what my body can do with a half of a year without my own personal nicotine. Maybe I can even line up a skinny shopping escapade and count it as my birthday present, too. I don't know what's more motivating than a shopping trip for a new body. Except maybe a pony. We live pretty much across the street from Sonic, and our new house will be 1.2 miles from a Sonic as well. Bring on the Powerade Slushies.

Thanksgiving.

We were really looking forward to Ross' break from school and work. His last class was on Tuesday, which he finished around 6, and then he'd have the rest of the week and weekend off. We had it all planned out, filled with tons of family activities that we could do together. To top it off, Ross' birthday was on Saturday.

We weren't able to go to Oregon for Thanksgiving, so we thought of fun things we could do around here. It was supposed to be a great Thanksgiving break. I was especially excited because last year, I was pregnant and really sick for Thanksgiving and Ross' birthday. I didn't get to eat anything, and Ross ended up catering to me on HIS birthday. I felt awful.

The funny thing about making plans is, I feel like this little Loveland family is famous for making wonderful plans, but always having those plans fall through.

So the break officially started on Wednesday. We had a pretty laid back day. I had a doctor's appointment in the morning. After, we all went to Hobby Lobby so the girls could pick out ornaments for this year. (Yes, they'll just be going into a box anyway, but it's a fun tradition we wanted to do this year anyway.) Claire picked a shiny pink pig ballerina, and Aoife kept attacking a blue, green, purple dinosaur. (Not cutesy for a 1st ornament as I'd hoped, but that was definitely the one she wanted.)

Then we headed for lunch at Tucanos for Ross' birthday lunch. Tucanos is an amazing Brazilian grill with an incredible salad bar. They bring by meat until you split the seam of your pants. It was like a Brazilian Thanksgiving. The girls hadn't napped yet, which actually worked out really well. We all came home and took a family nap.

Thursday. Where the fun all started. I was all prepped to get all of our Thanksgiving cooking done. Ross was sick. I'm grateful I had done quite a bit of the cooking the day before, as I spent Thursday chasing, refereeing, and herding the girls as well as finishing the cooking. Ross didn't eat much besides some fizzy water. We ate really early and took the girls to the park afterwards to play. We didn't stay long as Ross was sick, and I felt it coming on.

Friday. It gets worse. Thursday night, the outlets in Park City were opening at 10 PM for Black Friday shopping. I've never been Black Friday shopping. I didn't even know what Black Friday was until after I was married. I've always wanted to go, but have never had a friend to go with. Since both of our families are doing family pictures while we visit this Christmas, I jumped on the opportunity to get some deals. It was well worth the drive and the crazy. Actually, it wasn't crazy at all until about midnight. I had a really good time, and rolled into bed around 2:00 in the morning. And then the sickness struck.

Turns out, both girls were sick too. We were still determined to have a fun break, so we loaded up a bunch of fizzy waters and took the girls to Jungle Jim's to play. I love that it's never very busy and Claire can do most of the rides herself. We decided to take Aoife on the rides this time, too. We went with the girls on each ride until we felt sick and dizzy, and then had Claire go by herself for the rest of the time. I think they had fun. At least I hope they did!

Saturday. Ross' birthday. Sicker than a dog. I feel like I completely blew Ross' birthday this year. Again. Poor guy. Ross was a champ and was finally better, but the girls and I were even more sick. Claire especially. She cried and whined a lot, simply because she didn't feel well. We spent the day on the couch watching movies, and sometimes playing games. Ross had wanted a low-key birthday, but I'm pretty sure that was TOO low-key. I'll have to make it up this week.

While we were engaged and for probably the first year or so that we were married, one or both of us were ALWAYS sick on a Holiday, the Holidays where we wouldn't have work or school, and occasionally the obscure Holiday. Not even kidding. It started before we were married, and continued for a while. I'm not sure how we broke the curse, but it's back! At least we can put a good spin on it and think it's cute that we're acting like when we were newlyweds?

Sunday was the same and by then, Ross was more than ready to take on school and work. It's crazy to think that after today, Ross will only have 6 actual class days. And after that, he's finished! I've been busy cleaning the weird things, like pulling out the washer and dryer and cleaning everything in sight behind them. I'm trying to decide if I should pull out the oven, too. Later this week I'm planning on boxing up the rest of the plates and cups and sticking with paper for the last 2 weeks. I still don't think Claire has any idea what's going on, but I'm worried about her. She loves seeing her aunts and uncles. She Skypes with them regularly, and we're lucky enough that a couple of Ross' siblings are going to BYU, too. She gets to see them once or twice a week and she loves it. She's always talking about them, saying that they're cute, and asking if they're coming over. We'll have to see how she adjusts to the distance. Thank goodness for Skype!

Marathon Training: Week 2, Day 2.

Early last week I cancelled my gym membership. I'm paid through the day Aoife and I head off to Oregon for the holidays, but I'm kind of in a bind. You see, I sell myself short on a treadmill. I either run much much slower than I am capable, or I figure the last 5 minutes I'm supposed to run can be seen as a cool down and are optional, usually opting to not run those last 5 minutes. So I wanted to run outside. It was my stupid idea to train in the winter, so I had better learn to love tolerate being cold. I went out and bought myself a ridiculously warm neon running shirt which I absolutely adore, and some smashing long spandex, equally warm. I equipped myself with a running belt to carry snacks and a water bottle. There's just one problem. Daylight savings is a stupid idea, and I'm a woman. 

I would love to get my run done and out of the way in the mornings before Ross goes off to school or work. I had great ideas about waking up early and taking control of my day, using my runs to energize me and help me plan the rest of my day, and otherwise turn into Woman. Hear me roar. 

When I wake up at 5:30 or 6, it's DARK. and it doesn't get even remotely light until 7 or so. By then, the girls are awake and terrorizing the house and needing sustenance for their bodies, which have been starved through the night. When these two sweet girls wake up, the house is crazy and I'm not really able to ditch Ross to have my energizing, peaceful alone time. Running in the dark is an absolutely no, even with my trusty pink mace. To sum it up- Dark in the morning = No run. Let's talk about when Ross gets home.

Ross has a few late classes. Sometimes he isn't done till 7 or 8, but usually it's around 6:45. From 8 till 6:45, I am alone with my busy 2 year old, and exploring, scooting, equally busy almost 9 month old. I crave bedtime. I praise bedtime. I am so excited for bedtime, it's like Christmas morning EVERY NIGHT!!! Once Ross gets home to save the day, not to mention my sanity, I am exhausted. The very last thing I want to do is run. Unless of course, Claire was especially frustrating and I have a bit of steam to let off. And it's dark. It's dark at like 4:30! So- Dark when Ross gets home = No run.

I have loved my gym membership. The only problem is the cost is so cheap because they don't provide childcare. And I sell myself short on a treadmill.

So here's where my head is at for this week. Day 1 I missed due to cleaning and moving prep, but that's alright since I'm doing a longer run on Thursday before I get my turkey on. Day 2, Today: I set my alarm for 6:00. I've been waking up A LOT through the night because of pain, so I took the full dose of my prescribed sleep aid. (I always only do half.) I still woke up some, but come time for my alarm to go off, I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't even want to get up to shut off the blaring thing. But I did. I silenced the stupid machine and... got back in bed. It seems my best and deepest sleep always comes an hour or so before I need to get up.

This morning when I was awake and conscious, I was really disappointed in myself for not having the discipline to go running. It was only supposed to be 40 minutes, and I had it timed so I'd be back in time to get Ross off to work and the girls ready to go shopping for our Thanksgiving goodies. Being tired hurts, but not nearly bad as being disappointed with yourself. No one is really impressed when you sleep in. Having the discipline to get your butt out of bed and put on your running shoes early in the morning is impressive. There are all kinds of motivational images floating around the web that say something like, "The hardest step for a runner is the one out the door.", but for me, the hardest step is the one out of bed. 

Ross and I talked about that this morning on the drive to campus. Working out in the early hours is challenging for him, too. For a week or so, we used to get up early together. He'd work on things and read while I exercised. I didn't last long. He lasted longer, though doing it alone was hard. Then he started exercising in the evenings instead. We are a very fortunate couple and get to spend a lot of time together. Tonight though, after the girls go to bed, we will both be going our separate ways. I will be running, and he will either be exercising or taking some much needed quiet alone time.

Week 2 starts today and I am determined to get my run in today and the rest of my runs this week, especially on Thanksgiving. Week 1 was fun and all, but I didn't do my best. Week 2 starts today.

Loving Life.

I've gone a little crazy packing. Which is great! The hardest part was taking down the nursery decorations. It was a little heart wrenching, and tearful, but I did that a long time ago. With the worst done, and all of the other things that made our house a home boxed up, I've actually enjoyed the packing process. I turn on loud music, and Claire and I dance while we pack up. With all of the boxing and taping I've done, I've realized how much we really have and how much Ross and I have been blessed.

When we were married, Ross and I owned a sofa and a love seat that my parents had purchased the year I was born, a couple end tables (Again, which my parents had so graciously given us.) A mattress and box spring Ross found at a garage sale, a book case and dresser, that we had found together at another garage sale, and the wonderful wedding presents which so greatly added to our survival. I remember working as a telemarketer at first, and going to DI every day while I wasn't working to search for a table. One day I found one I fell in love with. We snatched it up. So we had a dinner table, and no chairs. a few months later, some kind neighbors loaned us two chairs to use until we were able to afford our own. They were always so kind to us.

With Ikea not too far away, Ross' scholarships providing extra grant money, and incredible KSL finds in the "free section" we were able to turn our house into a home.We finally got our own chairs and coffee table. I even found a free piano on KSL, which I had so desperately been wanting.

Right before we were married, Ross got a TV from one of his cousins that no longer needed it. Nine months later, Ross' grand parents lovingly loaned us a bed frame, head and foot board, and another dresser. They also gave us a dresser that they no longer needed. It was a wonderful blessing and gift of generosity. I remember being absolutely thrilled to have our bed off of the floor. Yesterday I took that bed set apart. Tomorrow it will be moving in with the rest of Grandma and Grandpa's things.

Moving, though difficult and challenging at times with two kids to care for, dinner to get on the table, and a house to clean, has allowed me to recognize and express gratitude for exactly how much we have been watched over and cared for. As our home is getting closer to the necessities, I have especially been humbled, and our family has drawn closer together.

Last night Ross and I played our game of Skip-Bo (I call it "our game" because I'm 100% certain we'll be 98 and still playing "our game" of Skip-Bo every night.), then got in bed with our mattress on the floor-just like the good old days, at 8:00 to watch cartoons. Dark Wing Duck to be precise. I love having our bed on the floor. It reminds me so much of when we were first married. We ended up talking about when we first met and all of the fun things we've done since then. It's been almost 7 years exactly since we were introduced at a church dance. The whole story of us is here.

We had so much fun last night laughing and talking about what each of us were thinking and feeling at certain points in our past. From the night we met, our friendship before Ross served his mission, and after he returned. I even had this poor kid meet me at a high school dance competition where we talked a lot, I searched his wallet, and learned his first name was really Andrew.We played guitar together where I pretended I knew what I was doing. While every time I'd seen him since the day we met, it was as if a spotlight was on him and an angel chorus was singing, apparently before his mission, I was an ok looking, fun, weird gal. (True story.) However, after Ross returned home and we had our ice ckating date, I had magically transformed into a good looking smart (I believe we decided upon the term "nerd") girl. And I guess he liked that. Talk about the Ugly Duckling... That conversation in particular drew out a lot of giggles.

We never dated, just had some really good times together. After he visited me for a few days in Idaho, things seemed SO complicated. I feel silly thinking back to late nights spent crying in despair for all of the reasons we thought we couldn't be together. Our first date after we were married was to Nicklecade. (Yup, before it was ever Nickle City.)

Last night was the perfect night, watching cartoons and laughing about all of our good times, favorite road trips, and how ridiculously silly we were. I love that the simplicity of our home and life right now brought us back to almost how we were like 3 1/2 years ago and sometimes what we I was like 7 years ago.

I remember our first married Christmas. We had been married a short 2 1/2 MONTHS. I remember all of those giddy excited feelings. We are just as excited and giddy if not more so this year. We're so excited to see and spend time with our families and friends who ARE a part of our family. This Christmas is really about family for us this year. We couldn't be more excited and grateful that we're able to spend so much time in Oregon before our next adventure.

My Sweet Baby is TWO.

Claire turned two years old today. Aside from me suddenly feeling old, this has been an exciting event. Ross and I have spent months thinking about this day. We would talk about present possibilities, party planning, the works. I decided a long time ago that I wanted my children to know that their birthdays, while fun and exciting for them, are also very special and important days to me. These little babies are precious to me and add so much to our little family.

For Claire's 1st birthday, I didn't do a great job planning. I had some ideas, but I didn't have anything concrete. This year, I started planning months in advance. A bit dramatic I'll admit, but oh so much fun for me. I don't have very many years where I get to plan these special parties all on my own. My little gal, Claire, LOVES Elmo. I can't even count how many Elmos we have in the house. Before I was even married, I had sworn that my children would never have an article of clothing with a licensed character on it. Little did I know that my children might possibly fall in love with a character and develop an obsession. I also didn't know that as a parent, sometimes you don't care what your child is doing or wearing, you just want quiet! And thus the undying love for Elmo was born. I have no idea how she found out about him, or how they were introduced, but I promise you: this girl is going to grow up and marry Elmo and live on Sesame Street with all her friends.

Walmart has a little kiddie ride that you stick two quarters in and it moves a little bit. It's a car, and guess who's in the passenger seat? Elmo. Claire knows exactly where that ride is and loves to climb up, throw her arms around her not so furry friend and kiss him. She doesn't care about the ride as long as she gets to pat Elmo's back and offer him smooches.


I knew this party had to have Elmo in it somewhere. Going back to my bratty attitude towards licensed clothing, I didn't want Elmo to be all over the entire house. I settled on a color theme of red and white polka dots and yellow first. I found cute cheap things to decorate at a local party store, and made my own giant poms out of tissue paper.


I had the food spread planned out thanks to a little site known as Pinterest. (Which is MY obsession.) I found some cute ideas, some way over the top ideas, and some other pinspirations. With Claire's first birthday party, I had moved the coffee table into her room and put a few toys in there as a kid's room. I wanted to do more with that this year, so I even made a tissue paper doorway that Claire loved running in and out of. The room gave a little table for kids to eat, and toys to play together and just have fun. I figured Claire would be too shy to play real party games, but still likes to play with friends.








 

I didn't think too carefully about the party time, and decided on 1:00. For those without kids, 1:00 is a popular nap time for every child except mine. For some reason, they love morning naps. Only a couple neighbors came, and I'm so grateful they did. Claire had a lot of fun with the kids and sharing her party with them.

I wanted to do something special with Claire for her birthday. This morning I had an appointment, and this afternoon she'll be going to the doctor. (Happy Birthday, Claire!) So last night I took her to Nickle City, which is an arcade that uses nickles rather than quarters. We had a blast playing together and she actually did pretty well earning tickets. She had enough to get herself a little spotted dog, and a piece of candy. The gentleman working the prize shelf was so kind and loaded her up with candy. After I took her for a Happy Meal. It was a fun night.



So my little baby is two. She's a big chatter box and is extremely funny. She has her own ideas, and is so smart. Yesterday, she threw her lamb outside the front door so that I'd go get it. The second I stepped outside, I heard the door slam behind me and tiny fingers frantically trying to turn the lock. She's a busy busy girl with a mind of her own. We love this little girl so so much. I'm so grateful she joined our family. We love you little monster! Happy birthday!

Marathon Training: Day 1.

Before I get into how this morning went, I want to talk about yesterday and last night. I thought about keeping a video journal, but decided against it because I'd be embarrassed whining and complaining and talking to myself into a camera in front of Ross. Which I know really isn't a HUGE deal, considering I whine and complain to him all the time. Poor fellow.

Yesterday I came up with my training plan. I'm a visual planner. I love lists. I carry around a bright pink notebook that is full of lists. Idea lists, grocery lists, menu lists, to do lists, thought lists, the list goes on and on. (haha Get it? I just made a punny!)

I like my workout schedule/plan to be written out on it's own calendar. I have one calendar hanging for family events, appointments, that sort of thing. I then have another calendar hanging, or rather blank monthly calendars printed from the computer with my work outs scrawled on the days. I love seeing exactly what I have planned for myself that day, as well as the next day. I can look forward to rest days, and prep myself for the big, long days.

As I was writing out my future millage, it was a blessing to see it all laid out. 26.2 miles is a long way to carry your own body. My plan spans over 21 weeks, and lines up perfectly with the half marathon I'm registered for in January. Back when I registered, I wanted to do a race as soon as we arrived in Wisconsin. I wanted to get involved with the running community, hopefully make friends, and stay active. Now that I'm thinking about it, I feel like the biggest fool for wanting to do intense training through the holiday season, while in the middle of our first move with two kids. I mean, honestly. What was I thinking?

Anyway, so I had my schedule all written out and it seemed doable. The first day I'd only run for 35 minutes, and the weeks to follow would prepare me for the 26.2 mile Trailbreaker Marathon on April 6th. And then I stopped looking at the first couple months and got lost in the "long" days where I saw where I had written, 20 miles, 22 miles, 24 miles, Race day." Uhhhhh... I must be INSANE.

Here's a secret. I don't even love running. Some days I don't even like it. Occasionally, ok RARELY, I find my sweet spot, where my breathing, pace, and strides are all intertwined and coordinated. That's the time where I am completely whole. It's hard to describe, but I can think and am totally consumed within myself. It's almost like the relaxing cool down part of a yoga session. I love that. Unfortunately, most runs I'm huffing and puffing and resemble a seal or walrus trying to run on land.

Me when I run. No not the cute lady, the lump passed out on the dock. Yup, that's more like it.

I don't run because I love it. When I did the Halloween Half a few weeks ago, both legs were cramped, I walked more than I wanted to, and probably looked like someone who had escaped from a hospital, still attached to an IV. But I crossed the finish line. I know I sound like a complete weenie describing this, and it's probably true, but I was amazed that my body carried itself for those 13.1 miles.

I have always been fascinated with the human body. I think it's incredible that a heart can pump and circulate blood through the tiniest tunnels throughout the entire body. I am in awe of all the the body does and all that it can do. It's amazing to me. That's why I run. I love accomplishing hard things and learning what my own body is capable of. While I might have been cursing and whining through the last few miles of the half marathon, and was no where near first,  the overwhelming satisfaction and amazement still came after crossing that line. After that moment, despite not having control over my lower body for the next couple days, I wanted more.

I had been thinking for a while that completing a marathon should be on my bucket list. I have a big list of "I want to someday's" and a small list of "I've done's). If my body could endure that much butt-kicking, I must have my imaginary limits set way too low. Everyone has limits, but perhaps we don't find out what those limits REALLY are.

Last night I came up with my morning routine plan. (Yes, I did write it in my pink notebook, although the list consisted of only three items.) My plan was to wake up at 5:30. I even created an alarm on my phone called. "JUST DO IT!!". Then I allowed myself 15 minutes to get dressed and grab something to eat before 5:45 when I'd read scriptures. What better boost could I give myself in the morning than a spiritual one? I could eat my breakfast and read for 15 minutes before 6:00 when I had to be out the door, on the way to the gym to do my run. I'd prefer to run outside, but no woman in their right mind would go running alone in the dark. Plus, it's freezing outside.

Here's how this morning went. The alarm went off at 5:30 and alarmed me. (Another punny.) I quickly shut it off to make it stop, didn't even bother to read the, "JUST DO IT!!" saying I had purposely entitled the alarm, and ducked back under the blankets to warm up and ultimately fall back asleep. Luckily, Ross had his alarm set for 6:30. I jumped out of bed, got dressed, grabbed my phone and earphones and ran to the car.

I had an amazing run. Since it was only a 35 minute run, I wasn't afraid to jump up the speed, blast the music and just go. Not gonna lie, I took an unintentional long break from running since the half, and had only run a couple times since then. I ended my run with a determined grimace on my face, just sort of grunting out loud, and near barfing point. Once I got myself under control, that runner's high that everyone loves so much kicked in and I was feeling great. Then I rushed off to the grocery store to get the weekly shopping done without the two kiddos. (Which is in fact, the greatest reward EVER.)

Gratefully, I figured out 5:30 is a bit too ambitious, and I should be able to get everything done in the morning that I'd like before I run, so I can rise and shine at 6 instead. Which will still require some determination to actually get me out of the warm bed.

Marathon Training Day 1: Success. I can say I'm proud of how my run went this morning, and it feels REALLY good to be back at it. Hopefully the rest of this week will follow suit.

Christmas Lists 2012

I can't remember who asked for our Christmas lists the other day, so we decided to post them. It'll be fun to look back and remember what was on those lists, too.

Ross:
Lego Lord of the Rings wii game
Avengers movies
Long sleeved white dress shirt
Classical music

Katie:
Running socks
Jewelry/accessories
iTunes gift card for running music

Claire:
Disney movies
Bubbles
Coloring book
Socks
Any fun toy to keep her happy inside, since it'll be cold for a while at her new house!

Aoife:
Long sleeved shirts
Hard books
Baby Einstein CDs
Colorful little toys

We're so excited to get to spend a long winter break with both of our families. We've been counting down the days!

Blowing Wishes.

As per November tradition, many have been posting something they are grateful for each day. Because our move is in the middle of the Christmas season, we've been in the Christmas spirit as well. I'm grateful that our move is happening when it is. Usually around this time, we think of things we are grateful for, but for me, this "gratitude attitude" is centered on Christ.

I had a traumatic experience almost five years ago. I'm not going to go into any details, as it isn't something I'd post for the world to see, but please feel free to message me privately if curiosity gets the better of you. An extremely very few whom I've confided in will know what I'm referring to. I compartmentalized the event after it happened and it stayed tucked away, with only minor reappearances, until now. I've been having flashbacks every night for the last couple weeks, sometimes making it hard or impossible to fall asleep. After an especially rough night last night, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and comfort when I stumbled across this video this morning.

Today I squeezed my girls a little tighter, cuddled a little longer, and laughed a little more. I forgot about the dishes and laundry, and was just a mom today. We ran the errands that couldn't wait and then went to one of my favorite parks. Utah has had incredible weather and I wanted to take advantage of it while we could. We ran and played and explored and climbed. Aoife even went down slides and laughed alongside her sister on the swings. We were there for a couple hours. On the way home, I got Claire a happy meal and shared it while talking and laughing.

We have dandelions along the sidewalk that leads to our car. Not the yellow sunny ones, but the ones you blow. I don't know what your mom called them, but mine called them wishes. Each time we pass, Claire desperately tries to pick one. Sometimes I'm in a hurry and try to speed her past. Lately I've been trying to take the time to carefully pick one with her. Hold it dearly, and blow on the count of three. Then we laugh as we watch the seeds fly.

It's funny how a simple day playing at the park and eating McDonald's can turn into one of the best days I've ever had. I am especially grateful for big smiles and little moments like these that take away our burdens, sorrows, and struggles, even if only for a moment. Sometimes in our hurried lives, it's necessary to take time and blow the wishes.

Deck The Halls.

Well, not really. I leave for Oregon 6 weeks from tomorrow. Last year we stayed in Utah and had our own little Christmas, so we have a tree, and all kinds of decorations. I'm almost done packing up the storage shed. It's a tad depressing that we won't be decorating for Christmas at all this year, but it doesn't really make sense to get everything out to pack it up in a couple weeks.

So we're not really decking our halls, but it wouldn't be a Loveland celebration if we didn't celebrate early. We were going to need new phones soon anyway. We were going to wait until Christmas break right before we left, but a wonderful salesman convinced us to celebrate the new job in style with new iPhones!

We've been playing with and loving them all weekend. If you know our daughters and technology, you'd know how much trouble we're in. Luckily Claire hasn't really noticed yet, thank goodness. We have a general rule that she isn't allowed to touch them.

We got so excited thinking about Christmas break that we ended up doing our Christmas shopping super early, too. Heaven help me keep secrets because Christmas is still a long way away!

Your Fair Warning of What to Expect For The Next Month or So.

I have been a nutcase the past couple weeks. My face looks like a 13 year old's I'm so stressed. And my anxiety levels are through the roof. With how stressed out I am, I've become pretty lackadaisical about everything. Sometimes I realize I'm flying out to Portland in 54 days, and at other times it feels so distant. I've taken on an attitude of, "things will happen when they happen."

We signed our lease earlier this week, and I signed with the moving company yesterday. I've taken almost everything off of the walls, packed all of our books, and took down our hanging DVD shelf. My house is naked. It's a little depressing and yesterday Ross called our house the "ghost house". Which is fairly fitting.

So... it's official. We really ARE moving to Wisconsin. 

And it's exciting, it really is. We feel so incredibly blessed that Ross was able to find a job even before graduating. And not just a job. A wonderful job with an incredible company. I'm looking forward to being REAL grown ups and exploring, and everything, but at the same time I'm really going to miss being so close to family, and only a 12 hour drive from Portland. We're not going to be able to visit as much. I have loved having both of our families so involved in our girls' lives. It's been such an incredible blessing to be in Utah with family, and having family visiting so often. I didn't really grow up near family and didn't get to experience that. Family is so incredibly important to me, I'm so grateful for the tight knitted family we have. So, onto WI.

Just in the last couple days it has gotten so much colder here. Today, the weather is reminiscent of Oregon weather. Except there is snow on the base of the mountains, and on the mountains. I am just PRAYING it isn't snowing or raining on Saturday. I have realized that I am going to die in Wisconsin. No, really. I lived in Illinois for a few years while growing up. We had snow. Lots of snow. And I remember it being cold. Really cold. Like one day at the bus stop my brother's friend slid on the ice and fell so hard he had to go to the ER. And another time, I was an idiot and stuck my tongue to a pole. And it got stuck. Kids are invincible when it comes to weather and I'm not so sure how I'll fare in the next coming months. 

The half marathon I signed up for is this Saturday. As in three days away. As in 72 hours from now I will probably be running. Or dead on the side of the trail. Or frozen at Mt. Timp where the race starts. I hurt myself pretty badly back in July when I was doing the best I have ever done with running, and I had to take some time off. Okay, scratch that. I had to take a lot of time off and sometimes I still hurt when I run. The longest run I have done since recovering is 7 miles. So, just a tad over half of what I'll be doing in 3 days. Everyone pray for me. hahaha

It's just been a busy last couple of weeks, and I fear the busy has only just begun. I've been talking to people in various running groups on Facebook and asking them about running. I even signed up for an indoor half marathon only a couple weeks after we've moved. Heaven help me. It's at the Olympic skating place, and you run laps. No iPods or headphones are allowed, they just blast music for you. When you registered, you had to give a song request. People were so friendly and kind when I asked questions about it. They love that it's a million laps and kept talking about how supportive everyone is, how the aid station is always just a couple of turns ahead, and how much fun it is. They convinced me.

We have some exciting things ahead, and I apologize if I expose my psychotic mess outside of the Loveland house. Please forgive me and feel free to pass me a Diet Coke and tell me to chill. And from now until we move, please don't expect to see a clean house. I totally and completely expect my children to act like this while dealing with my crazy.

 

 

Halloween.

I suppose I should blog about something less scaring. I apologize for the latest post. Sometimes I feel better about the horrid truths about being a mother when I can get it all out and add some humor. I can't be the only one who has these things come up, but no one else seems to talk about it.

Anyway, this morning I finished costumes. I love Halloween, however; since being married, I kind of feel like the Halloween "spirit" (Not sure what you call it, but like Christmas spirit) Has gone down. Our first year, we didn't even get pumpkins. The second year, we got pumpkins, but didn't carve them. This year, we have our pumpkins (Claire made it extremely clear that she NEEDED a white one,) and I'm determined to do some carving.

I don't think we even knew about our ward party the first year. The second year, Claire and I dressed up, but after a few minutes, I was so embarrassed because hardly any adults dressed up, so I went to the bathroom and washed my face. (I was a mime.)

This year, Claire is older and understands things now. I think maybe having her be excited about everything helps bring back my excitement. So we decided to do family themed costumes this year. We had decided upon our costumes way back, towards the beginning of summer. The wheels in my head had been turning about how I wanted to do everything ever since. I knew I wanted to do homemade costumes. Homemade costumes on the cheap side. This morning I finished everyone's costumes, accessories and all.



This was my inspiration, and Ross loved it, too. At first I thought I'd be the nurse or something, but one of Ross' sisters gave me a better idea. Mama Kate is the life guard. Ross is the shark bite victim, with some cute arm floaties, and another pool toy to carry around, and our two monsters are sharks. While their costumes are grey, you can be sure I will be adding massive bows.

I had to think of something Claire would actually wear, be warm in, and be happy. I found some cheap sweatshirts online, and both girls love them. I wish I had one because they always look so cozy. The dollar store had great accessories. I went this morning and was worried they wouldn't have their summer pool toys out anymore.

I love that Ross is excited about his costume and had ideas, too. And I especially love that he's willing to walk around in his swim trunks wearing kiddie pool toys. He's the best.

The costume idea combined with our annual trip to Cornbelly's made me really excited for this Halloween. It's been especially fun talking to Claire about Halloween and getting her to say, "trick or treat". We're really looking forward to taking her around next week.

Oh, Joy.

I've heard that unless your children embarrass you in public, you're doing it wrong. Claire has only been a smidge embarrassing, (Until she threw the tantrum from Hell at DI and a thousand people told me to "Put the child down and we'll let you go" and prove that she was indeed my child) but then we added another kid. When you have two so close together, you're bound for some really embarrassing situations. Or so I've learned the hard way.

When you're pregnant and huge and there is absolutely no room for your bladder in what used to be your stomach and you cough or sneeze or laugh AND pee your pants, it's funny. Everyone around can sympathize or relate, and it's really not THAT embarrassing. When you're not pregnant and you pee your pants because you couldn't get to the bathroom in time, and you're not 4, well, it's pretty embarrassing.

Claire is going through this phase where she loves to push the cart. It lasts for a little while, but then she transforms into a little space cadet and needs to explore EVERYTHING she sees. Even the pattern of the markings on the floor.

So earlier this week, I went to Walmart. I was replacing a couple blinds in our house, and had to pick up a couple other things. And then I needed to GO. Now, I drink between five and six liters of water a DAY. I drink A LOT of water. And when you add my diet coke addiction, milk, juice, whatever on top of that, we're in trouble.

Anyway, so we're walking through the grocery store and then I start to walk as fast as possible without running. And where is Claire? Oh you know, mosing about looking at things, playing with things, sitting on the floor, running AWAY from me. And I can't put her in the stupid cart without people think I'm kidnapping a child. (We're NOT going through that experience again.)

I start to panic. I'm now running with the store in small spurts when Claire thinks we're playing a game, and then she'd run off in a different direction and hide. Or sit staring at the tile. So I ended up racing to the bathroom. I wanted to use the family one, but some teenage girl was in there doing who knows what. (I have a thing when people use the handicapped or family restrooms when they don't need it and I end up dancing around with my two kids and massive stroller. So I run for the women's restroom, leaving the cart outside the bathroom, but taking Aoife with me. Aoife ends up on the floor by the sinks, Claire is somewhere nearby, and all the while I have begun to pee my pants. Thankfully a person at the customer service desk had seen my hilarious performance and Claire was right there waiting for me right outside the door.

We quickly finished up our shopping trip and went home. And then it happened again the next day at the farm!! Claire couldn't stop looking at the rocks on the ground, and I didn't have a stroller. Aoife sat patiently outside the porta-potty while Claire paraded around all of the potties, feeling free to open the door and expose her mother.

I love my children, I really do. Bless their hearts. I don't think I'll be doing any shopping with the girls for a while. But who could be upset with these two little cuties?!

Three Years.

In advance, I apologize for the lack of detail, pictures, and quite possibly grammar. As I type this, Claire is supposedly napping, and Aoife is pulling at my hair, clothes, keyboard, and otherwise squirming, and all I'm really thinking about is this wonderful, blessed Diet Coke sitting next to me, and when Aoife will also go down for a nap so I can empty the storage unit and organize everything and figure out what we'll be selling at the yard sale this weekend, and what we'll pack. I appreciate your patience with my current (Permanent) scatter brained state. 

It's amazing how quickly time flies. This last week we celebrated our 3rd anniversary. Not only did we get to celebrate three wonderful years together, this was our first anniversary that I wasn't pregnant!!

On our wedding day between the actual wedding and reception, Ross and I went to Olive Garden for some soup and salad, and then did a corn maze. It's been a fun tradition ever since, and each year we've added a little tag-along.

Our anniversary fell on a Wednesday this year. Wednesdays are typically family nights where Ross' siblings that are here in Utah come for dinner and games. Or study parties, since the three of them are taking a class together this semester. Ross' brother and sister graciously babysat for us so we could go out. Our original plan was foiled, so we ended up going to J-Dawgs, walking around a party store, going to our favorite park, and finally sipping on milkshakes at Sonic.

The next morning, Ross surprised me with a rose and a Redbox in the car. (I'm the driver in the family.) He also came home early so we could enjoy Cornbelly's as a family. It's been my favorite tradition/family outing since we've been in Utah. I will especially miss Cornbelly's and hope we can find something similar in Wisconsin.

First we did the corn maze, with Claire as our leader. Unfortunately she was more interested in finding rocks on the ground. We did hay rides, played in the Pumpkin Princess Playland, shared a sno-cone, went down a huge slide with potato sacks, picked out a pumpkin, went on all kinds of rides, watched the pig races, and I was finally able to ride the mechanical bull. Like I said, this was our first non-pregnant anniversary. It's been a dream of mine. No really. And it every bit exceeded my standards. It was SO FUN!!! I had a REALLY good ride and stayed on for a long time. The gentleman controlling the bull had to result to making the bull spin in a circle really fast to get me off. And I loved every second. We ended up staying there for a little over three hours, and could have spent even more time there, had it not been for bedtime.

And Friday came. The day we were waiting for! Ross' siblings, again, so graciously watched the girls for us. This time overnight. We began our weekend getaway with a trip to Scheels, the new sports store around the point of the mountain. It was HUGE. And amazing. They even have a ferris wheel in the middle of the store. We could have spent forever in there. Ross ended up getting a new pair of shoes, which he desperately needed. It's a really cool store.

Then we drove to Salt Lake where we would spend the rest of the weekend. We checked into the Anniversary Inn. We picked the Sun Valley Suite, which was a cozy cabin, with a 2 person jetted tub and waterfall shower. I was so much in awe of the room, we didn't do much for a while. We watched movies, enjoyed sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch, and eating cheese cake. It was a blast.

The next morning, we went to the Salt Lake temple to do a live session. It was an incredible way to start off the morning. That was another thing on my Utah bucket list. The session was amazing, and I learned a lot more from it being live. We changed in the car and then explored City Creek. We could have spent all day there. We were there for a long time, and didn't even see everything. I got a few new clothes, but it was just fun to be able to spend time with Ross without kiddos and just talk. After we took a trip up to the outlets at Park City.

After another shopping session, we drove back to good old Provo to the dollar theater. We hadn't seen Brave yet, and saw that the movie was at that theater! It was AMAZING!!! We arrived pretty early for the movie, so we sat in the car talking and enjoying cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, which was delicious by the way.

We even got home only a little after 8, and got to go to bed early. It was an amazing weekend and a great way to celebrate the last 3 years. With a big adventure ahead of us and so much going on, it was a nice break, but we're glad to be back and looking forward to many more adventures to come.

Conference Thoughts.

I am trying to keep this blog strictly our "family blog", though I am well aware that at times it has become a blog about Me (Katie Loveland), exercise/training programs, experiments, recipes, babies, and postpartum depression thoughts. I know I do sometimes post about my religion, The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and that I even have a link on the side for those who have questions or want to find out more about what our family believes. This will be a post about just that.

I'll admit, while trying to prepare for a yard sale (By the way, we're having a yard sale on the 20th to help dejunk before we begin packing, and it will actually be a multi-family event. let me know if you want more info.) Anyway, while going through all of our belongings, preparing for Ross' family to spend Conference Weekend with us, focusing on being a better mom, and all in all checking things off of my to-do list, I really didn't prepare myself for conference this year. I still got a lot out of conference, but I wish I had prepared myself so that I could get out MORE.

Like I said in an earlier post, Ross and I went to the temple last week, and both received the same feelings and thoughts about time and what we are doing with it.I thought it interesting, that much of what I got out of conference, was about the same topic, summing up to being better disciples of Christ and having that reflected by our actions. I had planned a Family Home Evening for last week about that, too. Though, I could never teach as eloquently as those who spoke in this conference. I had planned to talk about how our actions reflect who we are. We were then going to decorate our own plates, and bake them to make them permanent. We'd each then have our own special plate that we had designed and decorated.

Ross' family came out for the weekend. It was wonderful. They had gotten tickets for all of us for the Sunday morning session, as well as tickets for the men for the priesthood session. Ross' youngest brother recently turned 12, and this was to be his first priesthood session. It was special that they all got to go to the conference center together.

Attending general conference was on my bucket list of things to do before we leave Utah, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to go, especially with such wonderful company. It was an incredible experience. We got to hear Music and the Spoken Word, which was beautiful. And then I got to be in the same room as the prophet, his apostles, and other general authorities. I have always known that we have a living prophet on the Earth today, but hearing him and speak, and testify of Jesus Christ, strengthened my testimony of prophets. I KNOW that Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today and that the Twelve Apostles are called of God and that they are truly inspired men who receive revelation for us today.

I felt beyond blessed to be able to attend conference, particularly that session. Thank you Mama and Papa Loveland for supplying the tickets, and especially Papa Loveland for watching the kiddos so that I could attend. It was an experience I'll never forget.

When Ross first applied for Epic, and had an interview, we prayed. A lot. And I KNEW that was where we were supposed to go and where we NEEDED to be. Once it was confirmed with a job offer, I made some goals. I wanted to strengthen my testimony so  that I would be able to stand on my own two feet and share the Gospel, and answer any questions that may arise confidently. I knew I would need to be a strong example, and comfortable being a "Mormon". We've been in Utah for three years now, and I've grown comfortable. I've accepted that everyone here is LDS. No one drinks, or smokes, or parties. And you could have a conversation about church anywhere, and everyone would know exactly what you're talking about and not question you.

Ross and I both grew up in Portland. We loved it there, loved all of the people there, and all of the different experiences we've had there. I've heard Madison is beautiful, liberal, and a lot like Portland. I've even been attracted to the apartments that advertise recycling. I'm beyond excited about this new adventure and getting out of the "Mormon Bubble". It will be wonderful to be able to share what has so richly blessed my life, and hopefully have a similar Portland vibe. I've been checking out different races and triathlons in Wisconsin, and have even chatted with a couple people about what running outside in January is like. (We hear it's cold.) They've been ever so friendly, just like the folks in Portland and I cannot wait to start this adventure!

Halloweenie Season

Saturday morning we went to the temple. Honestly, it's been a long time since we've gone. When we move, we'll be in the Chicago temple district. We've really taken having so many temples so close for granted. It was great to go again. While there, Ross and I had the same thought about time. How we spend it and what message we are sending to God with the way we use our time. We decided upon a new schedule. At 9 PM we go to bed, planning on actually GOING to bed around 10. And we wake up at 6 in the morning. (By the way, it is REALLY dark at 6, and you can see so many stars!)

We started this new schedule today. This is Ross' last semester at BYU. Every other semester, he's started either class or work at 8 AM. I was excited about this semester when Ross said he only had work at 8 AM on Fridays. The other four days, he starts somewhere between 10 and 1 PM. I immediately thought of sleep and sleeping in. I was singing praises.

While it was great to catch up on sleep, I felt LAZY. I wasn't getting my work outs in that I wanted, and was just dragging the rest of the day.

Back to Saturday. I thought about this idea of time all day. By evening, I felt like the worst mother, wife, and person on the planet.

Today we started our new schedule. I went running, grocery shopping, showered, and played with Claire a bit before we had to take Ross to work. It was fantastic. I've been feeling like I don't play with my kids enough. I was the perfect Holly Housewife. Dinner was cooked and on the table, which I actually set right when Ross got home, the house was always spotless, and I did spend time with the girls, just maybe not as much time as I would have liked. (No, I don't neglect my children, and I'm actually a pretty good mom.) Today, I decided to dedicate the rest of my day to Claire and Aoife. Claire started the morning making cookies with Ross. It was cute and they had a lot of fun, we also colored Halloween pictures I had printed.


After nap time, we made caramel apples, listened to Halloween music, colored more, and just played. I am completely exhausted, but it was fun. It was good to have a day focused solely on the girls. I didn't clean, and we had leftovers for dinner. On the couch.

Claire loved pulling and pushing the caramel around the apples.

It was impossible to get her to leave the apple on the baking sheet.

Proud of her hard work.

Loving the caramel apple.

We took no survivors.

With moving only 76 days away (74 till our stuff moves), I don't really feel like breaking out the cute decorations. I don't think we have any fall ones, despite it being my favorite season. So we just taped our pictures to the window. It's actually really nice not having to be perfect 24/7, or ensure that our little home could be a page in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. We had a really good day.

Excuse the flash, but you can see the pictures really well!

Claire waited by the window chanting, "Daddy" for a long time. She was so excited to show Ross what she had done today.

What Really Goes On During Nap Time.

Claire eventually fell asleep. I know, I checked on her, but the following is how she puts herself to sleep. It's her wind down routine. 

Taking in the grandure.

The lamp is usually on the furthermost part of the dresser, and right side up.

Notice the missing shelf.

I'm not exactly sure how she actually SLEEPS on her bed. It's usually covered with every animal and toy in her room.

Oh, there's the missing shelf!

I am baffled at how she reaches the box of hair bows, but I guess a little girl room isn't complete until it has a trail of bows.

I often go in and find her sleeping in mysterious positions. Today she was on her bed, T bone style, with her legs dangling off, and the rest of her forming a peak on top of all of her stuffed animal friends.

Although she won't be 2 until November, I think we have officially hit the "2's".

Sharing.

I feel a little ridiculous teaching my toddler how to share and be kind when I haven't figured it out myself yet.

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'm sure Ross would agree wholeheartedly with this diagram.

And I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'd agree too, not even counting when Aoife was in between us, along with both cats. For starters, here's how we fit in our bed.

Ponytail = not sleeping. But I fit nicely on "my side".

 Here's what happens when you put the sweetest, self sacrificing 6' 4" husband and an unrelenting, sleep deprived, psycho wife in a queen sized bed together.

Aoife is only allowed in her crib, and we're down to one cat, and absolutely Pepper cuddles and sleeps with us. And my hair goes all kinds of crazy when I sleep.

I am stubborn. And particular. Especially when it comes to sleeping. I have MY pillow, the comforter only covers my legs and stomach while the second blanket covers my arms and head, with only a breathing hole for my face to poke out. And I am spread eagle. Unfortunately I never got the memo that married people don't fall asleep cuddling and have all kinds of extra space for your legs. It's actually the opposite. We have an unspoken no touching while trying to sleep rule. Violators may or may not get a little shove accompanied by a big huff.

Usually we end up with all kinds of tossing and turning and flopping and squishing and whatever other "ing" word would fit in here, until we arrive here:

"Our Room:" and "Meanwhile on the futon..."

Luckily we have a futon in Ross' study room. (Which is currently where Aoife and her crib reside.) It's been a fabulous futon for when family comes to visit, but never in a million years would I have thought I would prefer to sleep on it rather than my own bed. I love the futon. I love the study room. And unfortunately Aoife has been occupying that room and I've had to make do without it the last few nights.

I vote our next major purchase following the move is a California King firm mattress. Not a 2nd car, or house, a big mattress. We actually had this discussion last night. :]

*Please note, I do like sleeping with my husband. No, our marriage is not in trouble. Quite the opposite in fact. We love and like each other and sometimes manage to fall asleep in the same bed. However, when I am restless I do relocate to fall asleep and then move back into the bed upon waking up again in the middle of the night.