7.29.2008

Life Time

What does it take to get back into shape after having a [sweet, precious] baby? Apparently not the cute workout clothing I talked about earlier.

With Caeden it wasn't hard - I just jumped on the treadmill when he napped (...and there was also a Cindy Crawford workout DVD involved, which is embarrassing to admit, but MAN it kicked my butt!).

This time around I walk with the kids in the morning before it gets too hot. The walk isn't as much exercise as it is 1) Rock hunt for Caeden's dump trucks 2)Resting at benches so Caeden can drink cherry water 3) Detouring to the park for some quality swing and slide time.
I LOVE our walks - love them. But apparently it is going to take a bit more to get back into my skinny jeans.

Enter my savior: LifeTime Fitness is the most amazing gym I have ever been in (sorry Lindsay, I know Pure Vida is over the top but I am talking about gyms for non-millionaires). The best part? Two hours of childcare everyday is included in the price. Two hours of cardio ... two hours of pilates ... two hours of ... drinking a smoothie and getting a massage!

Please don't rain on my parade - I DO realize there is no way on earth I could work out for 2 hours straight...it's just the very idea that I COULD makes me positively giddy.

7.25.2008

New Things I Like

Smooth Down -- super-duper shiny hair. Love this stuff. Run and get yourself some during Beauty Brands' Liter Sale. Ten bucks and you, too, can have a glorious mane of hair (well, maybe I took it a bit too far, but if not for anything, buy it for the yummy smell!)

Caress Berry Wash - smells sooo good.These cupcakes are so yummy. SO YUMMY. Especially when you are on a diet and can't/shouldn't have them.

Aunt Lindsay & Caeden




Linz has a way with Caeden. His face lights up as soon as she walks through the door and he can't wait to show her everything in his world ... his toys, his room, the shop vac in the basement (yes, the boy loves his vacuums).

I love seeing them together because their interaction is so pure and easy. It's obvious how much they adore each other, and makes me love her even more for it.

Thanks for being so awesome, Linz. You're one in a million.

7.23.2008

HGTV

I have a slight addiction to HGTV. I love "Divine Design" and I think I've got Wayne hooked, too. We've lived in Parker for almost two years (hard to believe) and haven't done much to the inside of our house. It has beautiful wide-plank cherry floors, a gorgeous kitchen, and lots of white shutters on the windows ... but the only room that is truly decorated is Claire's room. The rest of the house is a sea of cream paint with no personality.

Well, that is coming to an end. Yesterday Wayne came home from Home Depot with decorative ceiling tiles (that aged copper-ish tin look) and asked me to pick my favorite finish. We're going to install it in the dining room and then finish it off with wainscoting. Funny how excited I am for the dining room to be "decorated" when we've NEVER used it. I think that's going to change very soon ...

Will post pictures as soon as we're (meaning Wayne) done.

7.22.2008

I am sooo tech savvy.

Thank you, John.

Hello

Not much going on today. Thought I would share some fun sites. Enjoy!

http://simplemom.net/

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/

http://www.dessertfirst.typepad.com/

P.S. Anyone out there know how to create links where you just click on a word and it takes you to the site?

Last night Wayne asked me when I thought I'd be ready for a vacation.

Ummm .... right this second?! I'll be in the car.

Seriously, the last time we got away was a year ago last Feb. when we went to the Keys with our good friends from Kansas. It was such a blast - but had I known it would be the last time I would have a margarita (and seeing Kenny Chesney wasn't so bad, either), I would have stayed longer. :)

Vacation ... oh sweet vacation. Probably next year when Claire is 1.

Right now, my definition of vacation: a movie on DVD that I watch all the way through without falling asleep (and waking to drool down my face) while having just taken a bubble bath.

Maybe I'll get that vacation sometime next year, too.

Here's to 2009! ;)

7.21.2008

Summer Swim


This picture cracks me up because of how the splashing started.

"Come here, Mom. I have something to show you."

The trap was set and I walked right into it. 'Splash Mom' was the game of the day. ;)

The funny part: Caeden didn't get it that I 'got it' after the first time. So, he kept at it all afternoon.

"Mom! I have a surprise for you!"

"Mom, I NEEEED you."

"...Mom?"

Gotta give it to him, the boy has tenacity.
This picture is all Caeden. He is such a boy. By the end of the day, he had every truck and car in the pool with him. Trucks and a snazzy pink and purple pool ... what more does a kid need?

YouTube Lion Video *Must See*

This is absolutely incredible. It's the documentation of a tame lion reintroduced into the wild in Africa ... and what happens when his human parents find him again (in Africa).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr1pWzoLvT8

(forgive me - I have no idea how to make a link other than you having to copy and paste)

Watch it now before you forget!

7.18.2008

Food Jags


Do you ever get stuck on certain things? Lately I eat turkey sandwiches, Kashi Strawberry Fields cereal, frozen Kit Kats, pear tomatoes (that we've grown!), and anything take-out.

It's the perfect season to grill, but that requires Wayne (he uses the green egg and won't refill the propane for the gas grill...so I am out of luck these days).

Headed to the farmers market Sunday for peaches, corn, and tomatoes - can't wait for summer tomatoes... the big red kind that I can slice on my turkey sandwiches!

7.17.2008

Real Life.

We've been hunkered down since Claire's arrival. You know how newborns have a way of setting the pace and the schedule for everyone else. "Caeden, we have to wait to play outside until after I feed Claire..." and on schedules: 8 pm bedtime is my version of Heaven.

Well, the other day, I decided enough was enough. I needed some stuff at Nordstroms (funny how you run out of everything at once) and thought we could all benefit from getting out a little bit. Caeden was totally agreeable and even Wayne was excited about doing a bit of shopping. Things were looking up ... until we got there.

I have a peanut shell (sling) that Claire loves to be in, so I tried putting her in it a little too quickly ... her head was stuck and her legs were dangling out. Okay, not right. Let's try this again. Out she comes, in she goes ... this time the wrong way and I am afraid she can't breathe! By this time, I am sweating bullets, she is crying and probably thinking, "what is this crazy woman trying to do to me?!"

I don't have my diaper bag (remember, I walked in feeling super confident that she wouldn't need a thing if she was all snuggled into the sling) so I have no blanket to lay down on the bench while I put her down trying to untangle myself from this $#@! sling. Everyone is staring at me and Claire and I am now totally flustered and not even sure if I am breathing. I kind of remember everything going dark - like tunnel vision.

Wayne and Caeden walk over from the line they were standing in to get a muffin (poor Caeden was so excited to have a muffin - all the boy wanted to do was have a snack) -- and Wayne asked me if everything (meaning ME) was okay?

No.

I just started walking out of the store. Poor Wayne grabbed my purse and Caeden and followed me out. He kept trying to make me feel better - to calm me down - but by the time we reached the SUV, I was crying.

I cried all the way home.

Why? I guess I just don't have a thick skin right now, and when things go wrong, I just fall apart. I thought my hormones were stable by now, and maybe they are, but I am not getting any sleep and I guess I am not doing too well.

The next day Claire never cried - she slept a ton - (compared to the previous day when she didn't feel good and cried all day and all night) - and we went out for dinner without any problems. We hung out outside and enjoyed the cool evening like a normal family and it felt great. I just need to remember not all days are hard.

Not all days are hard!

Sometimes blog entries aren't witty or fun. Sometimes they are gritter than that...please forgive my real life entry - I need to document it so I can look back and laugh when things are rolling smoother.

Until then, I am officially an online shopper. :)

7.11.2008

Today


Is such a good day. Caeden is playing in the dirt ... Claire is starting to coo...
Wayne is home ...

It really doesn't take much to make me happy. ;)

Meet Claire Party

No party is complete without a cake...
Here's Dave and Donna (Wayne's parents)

Daddy and Claire

Grandma and Claire



It was so sweet to celebrate our baby with everyone in SD. She was 5 weeks old in these pictures.

7.10.2008

Home Sweet Home

Made it home in one piece. The road trip was a piece of cake - not a speck of drama over movie watching, no lost flip flops ... nada. Just a lot of junk food (when was the last time you had Nibs??) and talking.

Our visit was awesome. Wayne had a surprise birthday party and Claire had a "Meet the Baby" party. So fun to see everyone! Donna (Wayne's mom) and Bev (his aunt) made a lot of yummy food and there was plenty of beer to go around. Perfect party!

Caeden was in Heaven. He has a belly laugh that only comes out when he is with his grandpa and grandma. It's this infectious laugh that stops you in your tracks - and I always think, "how come I can't make him laugh like that?!" -- Probably because I am too busy sending him to the corner for all the things that grandpa and grandma think are so cute and funny. Oh well, that's what they are for right?

One of the nights we went to some friends' house for a BBQ. It was an incredible feeling to be outside visiting with everyone that we seldom get a chance to see. Yet, conversation came so easily and the feeling of being surrounded by friends is a comfort we really miss.

On other news ... does anyone else out there love pear tomatoes the way I do? I have three plants thriving outside. I see green lil' pear tomatoes all over the place and can't wait to make a tomato and mozzarella salad. Ripen up already, please.

I have also hit the 6 week postpartum mark. I have made running a half marathon my goal for this fall. I was all set to start running again but Wayne is traveling a lot again. I wish so much he could be home at night. I miss how much smoother the evenings go when there is two of us to handle the craziness of children, dinner & clean up. I am so wiped at night I crawl into bed and am asleep in 10 seconds flat. How are all you moms working out??? I want him to stay home. I need him. My flabby stomach needs him home so I can go run. Come home, Wayne.

More tomorrow ...
 
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