The Olympics were wrapping up about the time that I posted my last post. Bedtimes were forgotten for all 4 of us as we watched the most Olympic coverage possible. Here's my favorite three people crashed out.
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It didn't take Caleb very long to pick up on the Olympic theme.
As I've mentioned in past blogs, I have been training for the OKC Memorial 1/2 Marathon, which is next Sunday. Since I last updated, I was diagnosed with a small tear in my meniscus (knee) and couldn't run more than a mile for about 3 weeks. I was quite concerned that I'd not be able to do anything but walk the 1/2 (and, of course, I'd already paid the entry fee for the race). After much PT, rest, and prayer, I am happy to say that my knee is just fine with little to know pain and swelling. Here's a picture of part of the group that I run with. We're slow but steady :)
As you begin to add miles, one common recommendation is to take an ice bath after your longer runs. After a particularly grueling 9 miles of hills (the toughest in the history of the Fleet Feet training program, according to most), I bravely attempted the ice bath. I think Aaron and Caleb got a very sadistic joy out of adding more and more ice cubes to the bath!
Harper talking up a storm. My personal fave phrase:
Caleb and Harper working on "parallel play" (aka not screaming and fighting while in the same room).
One thing I love about Riverfield is the concept open-ended materials. For example a piece of plastic birthday cake can really only be a piece of plastic birthday cake but an empty spool can be a number of things. And apparently, so can an empty tampon box :) It is very handy for carrying around his Cars.
I signed up for e-mealz.com to help with dinner planning and grocery budgets. Some people (hint hint, Aaron and Caleb) are too picky for about 1/2 the week's suggested menus but they are super simple recipes, like this pizza roll that Caleb helped me with.
We finished another season of soccer, this time with several friends from church. Very fun, especially now that the moms (and dads) can sit on the sidelines and chat instead of being out of the field with the kiddos.
One thing that became clear during soccer is that Caleb will probably not be a champion sprinter. The odd thing is that I swear he's faster at home when I tell him it is time for a bath. Maybe he'll be more of a distance runner like me!
One day after soccer, several of us went to Incredible Pizza. Caleb and Owen loved the simulator ride.
A new experience for us - finger painting. And, shocking, Caleb wanted to use only the yellow and green paints.
The same trip to Michael's that produced the finger paints also included this special hat for Harper G.
Caleb has picked up an eclectic mix of "favorite" songs - Benny and the Jetts, All You Need Is Love, Life Is a Highway, We Will Rock You, and this little gem:
Caleb demonstrates his "cranky face." Funny when he does it when you ask; not so funny when
he's trying to be a real cranky face.
For as cautious as Caleb was in his younger years (like 3 is SOOO old!), he is growing more and more brave. Aaron was grilling out and came back out to the back porch to find Caleb climbing along the outside of the decking.
Harper chatting it up:
Well, I survived my 30th birthday and lived to tell about it! The day itself was great - shopping with mom and the kids, then dad joined us for sushi lunch. That night, we were going out to dinner with my family and, much to my surprise, Aaron had coordinated to have a group of friends join us. This was no easy feat, especially since I didn't decide where I wanted to eat until about 3:00 that afternoon. He called everyone to invite them that day, decorated with lots of balloons, and even found a bakery in town that would make a truly black cake (not just dark brown). It was beautiful! And it was a mess for adults and children alike.
The weekend after my birthday, a group of girlfriends headed to Edmond for a girls night out at a place called Nothing But Class. As you can tell from the picture below, the evening included dinner, a few margaritas, and a pole dancing class. It was a lot of fun!
What those pictures don't show is that I actually was fighting a stomach virus. Aaron and Caleb were down with it as we left town. I hadn't been feeling great but was thinking "mind over matter" (thanks, mom, for that hint growing up). Unfortunately, my stomach didn't get what my mind was trying to say and I threw up several times in my friend April's Land Rover on the way to OKC, recovered enough to enjoy dinner and some dancing, then threw up again on the way home. It was still a blast of an evening though!
Many of Caleb's church friends have spring birthdays (crazy that his friends are FOUR years old) so this is the start of birthday season for them. One of them was a super-hero birthday, complete with handmade capes and masks and a special super-hero name for each attendee. Caleb was Shape Fire. He wasn't too sure about the costume at first, then really got into it. And, I'll admit we've worn the mask to Walmart - it just wasn't worth the fight.
Easter was great this year, with wonderful weather and healthy family. We woke up and checked out our Easter Baskets. Incidentally, is the Easter Bunny the one that brings the basket of goodies, like Santa and stockings, or is that from parents and the Bunny hides the eggs?
Caleb waiting oh-so-patiently to take family photos before he can go hunt for eggs at my parents' house.
.JPG)
It didn't take Caleb very long to pick up on the Olympic theme.
As I've mentioned in past blogs, I have been training for the OKC Memorial 1/2 Marathon, which is next Sunday. Since I last updated, I was diagnosed with a small tear in my meniscus (knee) and couldn't run more than a mile for about 3 weeks. I was quite concerned that I'd not be able to do anything but walk the 1/2 (and, of course, I'd already paid the entry fee for the race). After much PT, rest, and prayer, I am happy to say that my knee is just fine with little to know pain and swelling. Here's a picture of part of the group that I run with. We're slow but steady :)
As you begin to add miles, one common recommendation is to take an ice bath after your longer runs. After a particularly grueling 9 miles of hills (the toughest in the history of the Fleet Feet training program, according to most), I bravely attempted the ice bath. I think Aaron and Caleb got a very sadistic joy out of adding more and more ice cubes to the bath!
Harper talking up a storm. My personal fave phrase:
Caleb and Harper working on "parallel play" (aka not screaming and fighting while in the same room).
One thing I love about Riverfield is the concept open-ended materials. For example a piece of plastic birthday cake can really only be a piece of plastic birthday cake but an empty spool can be a number of things. And apparently, so can an empty tampon box :) It is very handy for carrying around his Cars.
I signed up for e-mealz.com to help with dinner planning and grocery budgets. Some people (hint hint, Aaron and Caleb) are too picky for about 1/2 the week's suggested menus but they are super simple recipes, like this pizza roll that Caleb helped me with.
We finished another season of soccer, this time with several friends from church. Very fun, especially now that the moms (and dads) can sit on the sidelines and chat instead of being out of the field with the kiddos.
One thing that became clear during soccer is that Caleb will probably not be a champion sprinter. The odd thing is that I swear he's faster at home when I tell him it is time for a bath. Maybe he'll be more of a distance runner like me!
One day after soccer, several of us went to Incredible Pizza. Caleb and Owen loved the simulator ride.
A new experience for us - finger painting. And, shocking, Caleb wanted to use only the yellow and green paints.
The same trip to Michael's that produced the finger paints also included this special hat for Harper G.
Caleb has picked up an eclectic mix of "favorite" songs - Benny and the Jetts, All You Need Is Love, Life Is a Highway, We Will Rock You, and this little gem:
Caleb demonstrates his "cranky face." Funny when he does it when you ask; not so funny when
he's trying to be a real cranky face.
For as cautious as Caleb was in his younger years (like 3 is SOOO old!), he is growing more and more brave. Aaron was grilling out and came back out to the back porch to find Caleb climbing along the outside of the decking.
Harper chatting it up:
Well, I survived my 30th birthday and lived to tell about it! The day itself was great - shopping with mom and the kids, then dad joined us for sushi lunch. That night, we were going out to dinner with my family and, much to my surprise, Aaron had coordinated to have a group of friends join us. This was no easy feat, especially since I didn't decide where I wanted to eat until about 3:00 that afternoon. He called everyone to invite them that day, decorated with lots of balloons, and even found a bakery in town that would make a truly black cake (not just dark brown). It was beautiful! And it was a mess for adults and children alike.
The weekend after my birthday, a group of girlfriends headed to Edmond for a girls night out at a place called Nothing But Class. As you can tell from the picture below, the evening included dinner, a few margaritas, and a pole dancing class. It was a lot of fun!
What those pictures don't show is that I actually was fighting a stomach virus. Aaron and Caleb were down with it as we left town. I hadn't been feeling great but was thinking "mind over matter" (thanks, mom, for that hint growing up). Unfortunately, my stomach didn't get what my mind was trying to say and I threw up several times in my friend April's Land Rover on the way to OKC, recovered enough to enjoy dinner and some dancing, then threw up again on the way home. It was still a blast of an evening though!
Many of Caleb's church friends have spring birthdays (crazy that his friends are FOUR years old) so this is the start of birthday season for them. One of them was a super-hero birthday, complete with handmade capes and masks and a special super-hero name for each attendee. Caleb was Shape Fire. He wasn't too sure about the costume at first, then really got into it. And, I'll admit we've worn the mask to Walmart - it just wasn't worth the fight.
Easter was great this year, with wonderful weather and healthy family. We woke up and checked out our Easter Baskets. Incidentally, is the Easter Bunny the one that brings the basket of goodies, like Santa and stockings, or is that from parents and the Bunny hides the eggs?
One tradition is for our community to have an Easter potluck breakfast and everyone brings their children. After all, you've paid good money for their cute clothes and you have to show them off to more than just the nursery workers :) Caleb and his buds had lots of fun, even starting a mambo dancing line through the class at one point.
Our god-daughter, Ellison, who is getting soooo grown up.
Our god-daughter, Ellison, who is getting soooo grown up.
Caleb waiting oh-so-patiently to take family photos before he can go hunt for eggs at my parents' house.
On the hunt:
Harper initially wasn't aware that there was anything inside the eggs. Once she figured that out, she switched to the "find an egg, open it, eat what's inside, then go find another egg" method.
Harper G is a total parrot. Our friends Bob and Mimi taught Caleb this when he was about Harper's age. She loves to do it now.
Trying to get HG to wear her sunglasses since it is full-on spring time now.
Harper G is a total parrot. Our friends Bob and Mimi taught Caleb this when he was about Harper's age. She loves to do it now.
Trying to get HG to wear her sunglasses since it is full-on spring time now.
Caleb wears his glasses all the time - at school, during nap, in the car, etc.
Harper is perfecting many animal sounds. But her cat impression gets the most requests by us and everyone else.
Yesterday was my sister's 1 year anniversary. Happy 'Bershrey, Mo and Brian. To celebrate, I'm posting this photo taken at their wedding that I just found on my FB photo page today. I am pretty sure it's the last photo taken of just the two of us in like the last 6 years - ha!
This morning, Caleb goes in for extensive dental work. Turns out the one cavity we could see was only a part of the problem. By noon, he'll be the proud owner of 2 silver caps and at least 3 other fillings. Thankfully, he'll be out under an anesthesiologist's care and all teeth involved will fall out at some point. For the record, I did not put soda in his baby bottle or anything. He rarely even gets juice! The dentist says it could just be genetic; perhaps I should take Harper in before it gets out of control. I'm sure she'd be sooo cooperative!
