adding to the chaos

Last week, Seth started talking about wanting a fish.  We started talking about earning a fish.  Pretty soon we were ALL getting fish.  I'm glad we didn't get a betta, because I had one in college and the thing lived forever.  (Not that I want these fish to die.)  But I didn't really have a 10 gallon tank in mind.  That's what we brought home Saturday, and we got our "fish house" ready.  Tuesday night we picked out our fish.  We have three female fancy guppies and a snail.  The kids love to sit and watch the fish swim around.  This morning I found the snail on the back of the little house, and over the next ninety minutes he was all over the place while I cleaned up the kitchen.  Seth's fish has an orange tail and is named "Tiger".  Amelia's fish has a yellow tail.  It is super fiesty (go figure!) and she named it "Queen".  My fish is plain and is named "Lily".  She is the nosiest most social of the three, which Nathan finds amusing.  Nathan named his snail "Speedy", but Seth calls him "Sammy Slowpoke."  We're trying to go by the book to decrease the mortality rate, so we can't add any more fish until next week.  The first 24 hours have been fun!

5 x 2

Sunday was...yet another birthday party.  We celebrated the 5th birthday of twins in Seth's Sunday School class.  It was a Curious George/Hello Kitty themed party, with matching driveway games and cupcakes.  Seth became obsessed with a hula hoop, and Amelia went through her whole goodie bag during the party.  At one point she had five stick-on earrings on each ear!

morning visitors

Lisa and Michael have a horse pasture in their backyard and a cow pasture across the street.  She has posted several times about the animals, most recently about the newest addition.  Just because we're not living in the country doesn't mean we don't have our fair share of wildlife.  Friday the kids and I saw our first neighborhood baby geese of the year.  The birds are going nuts, and worms and caterpillars abound.  And look who I found in our backyard at 7 am:

Bless their hearts, they seemed terribly confused.  After Nathan opened the door, they ran down the backyard and met up with their smart friend who had stayed on the other side of the fence.  Nathan had just planted flowers out front the night before, but luckily the deer hadn't snacked on them prior to their adventure in our backyard!

Heart & Sole 5k

Yesterday was the Heart & Sole 5k, the finale to the training program my friends have been in.  The race started and finished on Wake Forest's lacrosse field, and the route took us on a nice trail behind Reynolda Gardens.  And it was hilly.  As in, I run a lot of hills in my neighborhood and I'm still calling this hilly.  It was rough.  The official results aren't in yet, but I think I had a PR.  The girls also improved their times, especially Angie (far right), she took five minutes off her time from last month!  Some of the girls swear they are done running after this.  I'm hoping I can talk them into running the 5k for the children's hospital this summer, and that we can recruit some other people to run with us.  I think it would look great it we did!

take me out to the ballgame...

Last night we went to our first Winston-Salem Dash game in the new stadium.  There was a family night promotion, and we had lawn seats (which is perfect for our kids). 

This is one of a handful of stadiums that you can actually walk all the way around.  Very cool!

We all got free hats.  Here's some Seth photography:

Some nice guy felt sorry for us and took a fuzzy picture of us.  It's not his fault.  It's my dumb camera.

We ate stadium food (yum!) and enjoyed the nice weather.  I took the kids to the play area, and Nathan even got to watch some baseball!  We left at the end of the sixth inning, because Amelia asked to go home.  She has had a tough week, but was starting to get better yesterday afternoon.  Seth was disappointed that we left before the game was over...maybe one of us will have to stay home with Amelia next time, so Seth can see the fireworks.

the latest art

It rained all morning Wednesday, so Seth created this masterpiece at school instead of having playground time.  I posted it on FB yesterday in honor of Earth Day.  See if you can spot the butterflies, ladybug, grasshopper, dragonfly, and spider...I know you won't miss the ants!

Amelia and I ran errands in the rain Wednesday (which was nice, because it washed some of the pollen off my car...).  One of my stops was to the Kaplan warehouse.  Seth's preschool makes some really cool projects with these special markers.  They're expensive, but I finally bought them.  The kids love them.  Seth wants a pet fish.  Last night, he made an aquarium with his dot markers:

Here are Amelia's fish:

This is Amelia's fourth day with a tummy bug.  She's taking a nap at 10am, that tells you how bad she feels, although it hasn't affected her nighttime sleeping at all.  Snuggles with daddy are the only things she wants right now, but she'll settle for a Sprite.  So far, she hasn't shared with the rest of us.  We have some fun things planned for this weekend, so I hope she feels better soon!

Belews Lake Tri 2010

Yesterday was Nathan's first triathlon of the year, Belews Lake, which was about 40 minutes from home.  Right before Easter, I found a great deal on these shirts for the kids...I bought them big, so hopefully we'll get two years' wear out of them.

This race was Nathan's first with an open water swim, which meant the purchase of a wetsuit.  He got major points for getting a clearance one, though.  The swim was 750m, over twice as far as the races he did last year (not that that distance is a big deal for him).  Most open water swims are just a free-for-all, but the competitors started two at a time, every ten seconds, elites first.  Nathan somehow started 49th, but he was the 35th person back out of the water.   Such grace leaving the lake:

Seriously, most of the elites looked like they were falling out of the lake.   It would have been really humorous, but I was trying to keep track of the finishers, plus make sure the kids didn't fall in the drink, so I was a little distracted.

Next up, the bike.  This was 14.5 miles, a little over 45 minutes:

The kids and I had a picnic of oranges and juice boxes and tried to entertain ourselves until we spotted Nathan.  Next time I need to pack cooler toys.  I don't think the kids saw Nathan finish the bike, but I got them close to road while he was transitioning, and Seth got to give Nathan a good-job-high-five as he started the 5k.

We relocated close to the finish line which was nice, because the kids got to dance to the emcee's music (Seth) and play in the gravel (Amelia).  Nathan finished in under 90 minutes, which was his goal.  From my perspective, his hard work all winter is definitely paying off.  He did not look nearly as tired post-race this time.  Way to go, Penguin Daddy!

the cool week to turn 5

I think I wasn't diggin' being pregnant in April 2005.  Maybe that's because this week was the cool week to have a baby five years ago (although I'm glad Seth didn't decide to show up early).  Seth had three birthday parties this week:  Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Tuesday was Joshua's party.  He had a pizza party in his backyard, and the kids loved playing on his swingset, trampoline, and sandbox, and hitting the pinata!  (I forgot my camera at home, but will add pictures if I get any!).  It was very cool to see the kids all interact with each other, without any teachers around.

Saturday we went to Lawson's party at Adventure Landing.  The kids played in the arcade, had pizza and cupcakes, and then played a round of mini-golf.  Here is the birthday boy:

Seth's first attempt at putt-putt:

Sunday afternoon we went to Aubree's party at Cash-Lovell stables.  The kids rode two horses and got to groom and walk a bigger horse.  Seth loved it!

Unfortunately, Seth got a nosebleed at the party and got a little embarrassed, so we left early.  I kept him home from school yesterday, and decided to take him to the doctor.  He has strep throat!   I used to get strep all the time in Minnesota, but knock-on-wood have never gotten it since moving down here.  We're hoping the rest of us avoid it.  After one dose of antibiotics, though, he doesn't seem to remember he's sick.  This morning he's bouncing off the walls!

future nurse?

The kids and I went to see Mom and Dad for a quick sleepover Saturday.    Mom had her surgery last Monday and her leg seems to be healing well.  She had a few complications last week, but is on the mend now.  I made dinner and did a few chores to give Dad a break.  The kids wanted Gram and Pops to watch "The Princess and the Frog", and Sunday Dad and I took the kids to the playground so Mom could get a nap.  Amelia liked to snuggle with Mom in the bed.  Here she is pushing Gram to the kitchen:

And keeping Gram's toes warm:

One more week in that bulky cast, and then Mom gets a walking boot...and they can use their upstairs again!

hangin' with the big boys

Today Amelia had a very special day.  For most of the day, she had Evan and Ryan all to herself.  Marie had a teacher workday, and the daddies are golfing here in town this weekend, so the big boys came over today.  Seth slept in until 8:15, went to school, and crashed out after we got home from the playground.  He was literally still in bed when they left at 5:30.  Amelia chased the big boys around the house, played who knows what in the basement, played Legos, played kitchen, and watched tv.  Tonight she kept telling us "Evan is big.  Ry-Ry is big, too.  Seth is tall.  Me tall, too!"  Yes, Amelia, you're the tallest...girl.

this is the feast...

I can remember going to three different Lutheran churches in my life, and almost every week (or at least it seems like) we sang "This is the Feast".  Our current church never really used it that much in the first place, but when we switched books, there went my song.  (And while I'm on a tirade, why did they have to change the Apostle's Creed?  I have to turn to page 105 every week, and I can be reading it and still say it the old way!)  Yesterday, Easter Sunday, we sang "This is the Feast".  Add in the kids ringing bells whenever they heard the word "Alleluia" during the service and a blooper during the children's message, and it was a great service. 

But before we could go to church, we had to see what the Easter Bunny delivered!  The kids collected all their eggs in a wheelbarrow so EB could hide them. 

EB left a line of eggs going straight to the goodies:

Post egg hunt...I hope they found them all!

In their Easter finery...actually, I was kind of slack this year.  Seth wore his lightest polo, Amelia wore a dress loaned to us from Kaitlyn.

Easter bonnet from the dollar spot at Target!

After brunch at church and another egg hunt, we went home for naps.  Nathan had done a bunch of yardwork, so he was skipping his Sunday cycling workout.  I suggested a family bike ride (where he pulls the kids in the bike trailer) instead, and it was a beautiful afternoon to explore the neighborhood.  I cooked a "traditional" Easter dinner...ham, mashed potatoes, corn, deviled eggs...and to my surprise, the kids ate everything!  (Saturday night we grilled steaks...I seriously think that we're going to have to start getting Seth his own steak soon!)  I also made my usual carrot cake.  I may have to share with neighbors...I'm not used to there being this much cake left the day after!

setting a good example

A little over two weeks ago, I first heard of the Lillie's Friends festival from Triadsmartypants (blog linked on the right.  I am a loyal reader, as acknowledged here.  smile)  I thought about it for about five seconds and decided I wanted to participate in their inaugural 5k.  Nathan thought I was crazy to run races three weeks in a row, but let's face it, I don't race, I just run.  After the race, I planned to bring the kids back to the festival.  The kids have been watching us participate in runs for six months now.  Seth really wanted to participate in the kids' race.  We talked to him all week about having fun, trying your best, and it being okay not to win. 

Nathan and kids surprised me by coming to watch me finish the race.  After cheering "go runners, go!", Amelia decided she wanted to run, too.  After a quick trip home for a shower, we got back to the park right before the "Chase the Hare" races started.  First up, the one-and-two-year-old division.  Amelia finished first, although she didn't exactly run, she just stared at the bunny a little less than the other kids. 

Next up, the three-and-four-year-olds.  Less kids were fascinated with the bunny, but as you can see, Seth blew his competition out of the water:

The kids with their (participant) ribbons:

I know my kids are not posterchildren for childhood obesity, but still I think it is good for them to see us participating in these events.  Not only are we exercising, but we're supporting good causes.  The festival itself was a lot of fun, with bounce houses, games, and of course, an egg hunt.  Another great morning at the park for us. 

a day at the zoo

Nathan didn't have to work on Friday, so we headed to the zoo.  Evidently a lot of people had the same idea, there were people parked along the road getting into the zoo when we were leaving.  We usually go on Father's Day, but this put that crowd to shame! 

The animals were a little more active than they are in June, and we got to a closer look at them than we usually do.  Seth is still a fan of sitting on the sculptures:

Watching an ostrich at the giraffe feeding station...don't waste your money to try to feed the animals!

"Love" is in the air...this poor female lion could barely blink without the male lion trying to do something to get her attention:

As always, the carousel was a hit:

There was also a Dora & Diego 4D ride that was a lot of fun.  We had a hot dog lunch, some ice cream, and some playground time to round out our day.  We can usually "do" the zoo in about 4.5 hours, longer than that, the kids are pooped, and so are we!

no foolin'

After our fun weekend, things came to a screeching halt on Monday.  In addition to having nothing planned for spring break and gobs of chores to catch up on from the week before, my mom fell down the garage steps Monday and broke her foot in three places.  I didn't know if I would have to go help or not (having a very unstable ankle and two wild children is probably not a good mix...so we've been visiting daily via skype instead...and thank goodness for technology that allows my dad to work from home!) so I ran around like a chicken trying to catch up on laundry and get errands done.  The poor kids were taken all over town, multiple times.  I had promised them trips to Tanglewood, but one or the other would nap too long and we wouldn't make it.  Thursday I put my foot down.  We were going to do something fun.  First, we snapped some silly pictures to mail to the great-grandparents:

Then we went to the local Tractor Supply.  They had ducklings, chicks, and one albino bunny that was kind of creepy-lookin'.  The kids liked the ducklings the best. 

Then we went home, packed a picnic, and headed to Tanglewood for a couple hours of fresh air.  Spring break saved!  It was a fun day!

the Battery

Sunday morning we took the kids to the Battery, which is a beautiful historic waterfront park in Charleston. Seth had fun climbing cannons...

...and trees.

Amelia tried to climb with her brother...

...but decided it was much more fun to watch a princess with her daddy instead:

We had fun having some free time in the park, and then we went to Elise and Chad's house to have lunch on our way out of town.  I don't know what blooms in that park, but it kicks my allergies into gear every time we go!

Bridge Run 2010

We did it!  Saturday Nathan, Bryan, Sara, Chad, and I ran the Bridge Run 10k in Charleston.  We all headed to Mt Pleasant Friday afternoon.  Elise graciously picked up our packets for us on Thursday, so we didn't have to deal with the expo on Friday.  Here is the bridge in the distance on our way to Mt Pleasant:

It really is a cool bridge.  My parents walked it Friday while they waited for us to arrive.

The race started at 8am on Saturday.  After asking around, we determined it'd be easiest for us just to walk the 1.5 miles to the start.  It was cool on Saturday, but the walk was a good warm-up, and once we were in the corrals, it wasn't as chilly!

Our hotel was right along the race route.  My parents and the kids parked outside so they could watch the race. 

It was great to see our cheering section right before we headed up the bridge (although after running the hills around here, that bridge is NOTHING!).  Nathan and Sara started in a faster corral than the rest of us, but they didn't run together (Nathan in gray):

See me behind the person in red?  I swear Bryan and Chad were right beside me, I don't know how they didn't make it in the frame!

The mass of humanity behind us in the race (there are plenty of people who walk the whole way, too)...there were about 38,000 people registered for the race!

Bryan, Chad, and I ran together for most of the race.  Bryan sped up at mile 5, immediately after which, Chad and I witnessed CPR in progress (the man is okay).   We also saw Elise and Brian with about a mile to go...they were troopers (they had to drop Chad off with us before the bridge closed...it was a long morning for them!)  Chad decided to sprint the last quarter of a mile, but I kept him in my sights...good thing, because it took us forever to regroup with the others! 

We all had personal records on this race.  Chad finished 5 seconds ahead of me, and Bryan one second...funny this is, he and I didn't see each other, we were on opposite sides of the road! 

In our Team Fox gear:

We took a ferry back across the river, and Dad picked us up at Patriot's Point.  We were four cold kids by then.  It was by far my favorite race so far...we're already talking about doing it again next year!