Happy 9th Birthday Zach!

We celebrated Zach's 9th Birthday with family today. I made his favorite meal, lasagna. I also made his favorite cake, and he got to do the frosting & decorating. He enjoyed all his new gifts. It was nice to spend time with everyone!

Lauryn's Band Concert

Lauryn started clarinet this year. She is enjoying it very much. They had a show last week and did a wonderful job. Here is a picture of her & her friend, Ceci:

Surprise!

Last night, Jim & I planned a 9 year Surprise Birthday Party for Zach. He LOVED it! The lights were out, so my picture is blurry... But here was his surprised face & his comment, "I thought I was dreaming?".


So, we had all the boys at our house & allowed some "free" time, for them to play & do what they wanted. Then, I served one of Zach's favorite meals, butter noodles (& sauce for those who wanted it) & garlic bread. We did something different, where I just laid all the noodles on the table & we used no plates. Each boy just pulled over the amount they wanted & ate right off the table. They all thought that was hilarious. Then, we headed to the movie theater. We saw the movie, Bolt. Very cute! Zach had such a good time, he asked if we could surprise him every year? Here's a picture of the group:

Turkey Day

The 5K Turkey Trot Run...

So, the kids trained, ran, & finished their first 5K run today! We did the Lifetime Fitness Turkey Trot, downtown Minneapolis. The kids amazed us. They did so awesome. It was so much fun, we decided to make it a new, Thanksgiving, family tradition!

Sean... Zach... Lauryn... running in to the finish.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rough Days

It's been two rough days at our house. First, on Wednesday, Sean had a molar tooth pulled. It was not fun to sit through that appointment and listen to him cry while in the chair. As I was sitting with him, at one point I noticed that I had my hands clenched so hard. I know I was just as nervous for him as he was. If we could only take their pain? But, he survived & got lots of attention the rest of the day. And, this was the first tooth he has lost, so he was very excited when the tooth fairy came to visit him during the night. Then, Thursday, Libby got spayed. She's healing well, but does not enjoy having the cone around her head. She whines constantly & keeps running in to things (I don't think she can see around the cone). Otherwise, if we allowed, she would be up, running, jumping, and being her energetic self!

Two sleeping puppies...

I just had to post this...
We baby-sat some close friends' beagle puppy while they were away & our puppies proved to be the best of friends. They were so sweet with each other..., when they weren't busy wrestling. Kind of makes me want to get a second dog???

Weekend Update

We had such a nice weekend. Friday night was pretty quiet. We ordered in for dinner & then Jim & I ran to Target to do some Christmas shopping for the kids. Jim joked that we must be "losers" to spend our Friday night at Target! :) Then Saturday I got my long run in during the morning while Zach had basketball practice. Then we went up to St. Cloud for my niece's Baptism. She looked so adorable. And it was fun to see everyone & spend time together. Then Sunday morning we took the puppies to the dog park. They had such a great time & were able to wear off some of that extra energy. That place is so awesome. Sunday afternoon, Lauryn & I got tickets to go see "Wicked". It was SO good! We both loved it. And I always enjoy any chance I can get to have one-on-one time with the kids.

Tag...

Okay, Becky... Here it goes...
I got tagged, so I am filling out my responses & tagging the rest of YOU!


I am: blessed with a wonderful family & great friends
I know: all their is to learn from animal planet (Zach informs me all the time!)
I want: happy, healthy kids
I have: too busy of a life
I dislike: when my house is messy
I miss: our deceased loved ones
I feel: like taking a vacation
I hear: my fingers typing
I smell: bleach from doing the kids white school uniform shirts
I crave: snickers bars
I cry: very rarely
I search: for those perfect Christmas gifts
I wonder: what my kids will become
I regret: not always living life to the fullest
I love: my family
I worry: about our country
I remember: all the good times
I dance: only when I am drunk
I don't: enjoy shopping
I argue: with kids to get homework done
I write: on my blog & facebook
I win: some of my own personal goals
I lose: some of my own personal goals
I wish: to qualify for Boston (marathon) one day
I listen: to my Ipod
I can usually be found: running
I am scared: of health issues
I need: a good massage
I forget: everything lately
I tag: Cori, Kelly, Jen, Christine

SNOW!

Everyone is happy it snowed! So... Because of the public school budget cuts, my kids start school late on 4 different days. Today was one of them. But, they all woke up at their normal time (6:30 AM) & were thrilled when we opened windows & saw the snow. By 7:15 AM, I finally agreed to let them go out & play in it. Even Libby got to go out & run around in it. They had a blast. But, before they even got home from school, it was all gone. What they don't know, is that there will be plenty more coming - where that came from!!!

***Notice Sean is even still in his P.J.'s!***

Happy Veterans Day

Aaahhh... I just had a very relaxing day! Jim had today off for Veterans Day (Oh, yes... Happy Birthday Marine Corps - this IS a BIG deal in our house!). So, we dropped the kids off at school, went for a run together on the trails, then headed out for a couple's massage. Ooohhh, it was SO relaxing. Why do those things have to end? Then, we got to do some Christmas shopping for the kids. I just love Bank Holiday's!

Happy Halloween!

Sean was a soldier, Lauryn was Wednesday from the Addams Family, & Zach was also a soldier.
*Jim & I dressed up for Saturday night; we went as Fester & Marticia Addams. We tried to get the boys to go with our Addams theme, but they had "war games" on their minds.

***View my facebook "Halloween Album" to see Jim & I dressed up as Fester & Marticia***

Make of it what you will???

What a weekend! It had its ups & its downs. I think we had more busts this weekend than ever, & yet, we all agreed that lessons were learned. So here it is...

Friday: The boys got invited to a sleep over with friends, so we lined it up for Lauryn to also have a night away with a friend as well. Jim & I thought we would enjoy some time together, so we first took in my mini-van that needed work. *Negative - paying the bill. *Positive - we have a vehicle to drive our family around in. And then after the whole van deal, we decided to go to a matinee movie. The only one that really fit in with our time schedule was "Burn After Reading". Okay, we HATED IT! *Negative - $12.00 on a crappy movie. *Positive - spending time together (& me catching a nap). After the movie, Jim & I headed to St. Paul & enjoyed dinner at the Wild Onion. I have no negative to comment on that one. We really enjoyed drinks & a great meal. And after dinner, we met with neighbors & played cards. The only negative on that was that we didn't get home until after 1:00 AM & we needed to be up early for a morning run. So...

Saturday: Our plan was to wake up early & get in our long run before picking kids up from sleep-overs. *Negative - at 9:00 we were woken up by the phone ringing. *Positive - I can't remember the last time I have slept that late & felt so good while running 9 miles! But once we were done, it was rush & shower, rush & pick up the kids, rush & pick up the van, rush & pick up Sean from a birthday party, rush & drop off another boy we carpooled with, then rush & try to get to the pumpkin patch on time to meet friends. *Negative - we ended up getting caught in Anoka's parade traffic. Oh my, we were re-routed this way & that. It ended up taking us a whole extra hour to get there than planned. Needless to say, one of our friends who went their earlier than us was wondering where in the world we were. *Positive - we could not have asked for better weather to spend a day at the pumpkin patch (especially compared to today's weather). So then after the pumpkin patch, we decided we were in need of a "family date night". So we decided to take the kids to the Mall of America's Nickelodeon Zone, enjoy rides & eat out at the Rain Forest Cafe. And of course, on the way there, we ended up in traffic again because 35W was shut down for the weekend. *Negative - another extra half hour in traffic. *Positive - ??? Okay, I can't think of one this time around... except that you never know what might have been had we not been delayed in traffic? So once we get there, we started out by putting our reservation in at Rain Forest & then we decided to enjoy some rides while waiting. I took Sean on some kiddie rides while Jim took the older kids on the bigger rides. Unfortunately we both thought we had made different plans to "meet up" before dinner. I thought we were meeting at the restaurant at the set time, while Jim thought Sean & I were going to meet them back at the ride where we split up at. *HUGE negative - Sean & I sat at the restaurant for a whole hour before Jim & the kids showed up. (and I didn't bring my purse with my cell phone in it, so no way to figure out where each other were) *Positive - we were all SO thankful once we met up that everyone was safe & okay. You know all those thoughts that go through your mind... "Okay, I am so mad, where are they"... to... "Oh, I just pray that they are all okay!"... It was so sweet when we met up & Zach was so upset, thinking that something bad had happened to Sean & I. I have never met a kid with more compassion! Needless to say, we had a blast TOGETHER once we were done eating & enjoyed the rest of the evening on rides & spending time as a family.

Sunday: Today has been a pretty good day, besides the fact that we have been really busy and the weather sucks. We first went to the TPC to carve pumpkins with the kids. *Negative - the kids picked these really hard patterns to carve & it ended up being a job for Jim & I. *Positive - I did not have to mess up my kitchen! Right after the TPC, we went straight to Zach's football banquet. *Negative - they served pizza & none of us were hungry because we just ate at the TPC. *Positive - Zach had a great time with his football chums. Now Lauryn is off to swimming, the boys are out in the rain playing soldiers, Jim is cleaning my van for me, I am cleaning house!

One thing our family learned this weekend is that we are all so thankful we have each other - and we could communicate a little better next time we decide to split up!!! :)

The kids at the Pumpkin Patch:

The jack-o-lantern, the skull & cross bones, & the cat

A night out with friends

The girls & the guys (& let me tell you, the guys were NOT happy about having an "all guys" picture!) at a gala & then the bars in Downtown, Mpls.... Good times!

I DID IT!

Well, I am finally done with marathon #3! The journey has been incredible. I loved every minute of it. I will miss my early morning training runs with a number of my great friends. Despite the hard down pour of rain, today was a blast. Jim also braved the weather today with all three kids. I loved having them there. It meant everything & gave me the strength I needed at times. (oh, & yes, my sister & brother-in-law (past marathon partner) drove from St. Cloud with their NEW baby & boys to cheer me on in this weather as well!)

Now ahead... No break in my training... I am doing the Goofy Challenge (half marathon Saturday, full marathon Sunday) in Disney World in January & Jim is joining me for the Mickey full marathon on Sunday. Yes, he is doing ONE LAST marathon:)

SVDP Marathoners - right before take off

My GREAT friends that shared this journey with me

Carol Conrad & I running in to the Finish Line

The Family at the Finish Line

Twin Cities Family Mile Run

My future runners! (well, I guess they are runners right now as well?) I just hope one day I can run a marathon with at least one of them! :) We joined SVDP's team at the Capital this morning & spent the day with a number of our good friends. The kids did great, running as hard as they could.

Photo Shoot

View our sneak peek of family pictures....

http://jlphotographybyjoey.typepad.com/blog/2008/09/c-family.html

Photo Shots

Family Photo Shoot


We took the kids & Libby to the park tonight to have some professional family pictures taken. I also brought along my camera & tried getting some pictures before & after. We only had one catastrophe! Sean fell off a table while goofing off, hitting his bottom lip. It's swollen. Other than that, the kids & Libby did pretty good. I can't wait until our proofs are done, as I am sure our photographer got way more good pictures than I did!

Father/Son Long Weekend

White Sox/Toronto game

Kevin, Steven, Zach, & Jim at the Notre Dame pep rally, Friday night

Touchdown Jesus

Half time with the Irish Band

The football players, traditional walk from the church to the stadium, before the game

Zach & Jim enjoying the football game

Jim & Zach, along with family friends, Kevin & Steven Kehn, started out first thing Thursday morning for Chicago. They enjoyed a day in the city & an evening at the White Sox/Toronto baseball game. They were all four excited that the White Sox lost, helping out our Twin's status in the playoffs.

Friday morning, they headed to South Bend, Indiana. They toured Notre Dame's campus, shopped the campus book store, & spent the evening at the Pep Rally. The Dad's were very excited to hear Lou Holtz speak. It's too bad that Zach & Steven are too young to fully appreciate hearing his speech. Jim says it was very motivating. It was also fun for them to see the 1988 Alumni National Championship Football Team return for a big rally. They talked all about how much fun it was & Jim swears that now one of our children HAS to attend Notre Dame!

Saturday they spent some more time on campus & enjoyed all the history & tradition of the school. They took the picture of the players, doing their march in to the stadium after attending mass - another huge Irish tradition. Then the game... This is one of the most hyped games of the year, and all were very excited to see Notre Dame take on Michigan. Everyone enjoyed themselves at the game. Even with tons of rain, you couldn't keep the smiles off their faces. At one point, the boys even called home to rub it in that they were having fun & all we got to hear was the cheering of the crowd! (they are so antagonizing) All four were excited for Notre Dame to win, 35 to 17!

It was so nice to have them both home today! It surprised me when both Lauryn & Sean ran & hugged Zach & told him how much they missed him. He sure leaves a special mark in our house! And of course, we are all happy to have Jim home as well. It makes you appreciate how much they do around the house & how much they mean to you when they aren't around!

Out for a walk...

Lauryn, Libby, Zach, & Sean

Libby is now 13 weeks old & growing so fast. She has more than doubled her weight since we got her! She is in obedience school one night a week & I am amazed at how quickly she learns things. She is definitely motivated by food & will do any trick to get a treat:)

First Day of School!... all my little ones are gone:(

Every time I hear this song, Little Wonders, by Rob Thomas, I think of my children & how amazing they are! What will they become? Who will they impact in their lives? All three of our children are so special in their own ways. I just love to marvel over the things they do. Each child has so much potential!

I feel like our summer flew by this year & all of a sudden all three of my kids are off! This morning Jim went with me to drop them off at school. Lauryn & Zach are pros at this now. And they were both very excited to show Sean the ropes. It was a little hard for me to see my last baby go. Once we got to school, he found his favorite friend, Ryan, & then he could have cared less that I was there; taking pictures, praying that his day would all go okay. Once they opened up the school doors, I watched him walk in, thinking that at any moment he would turn around & wave at me. NOPE! It's hard to watch my children grow up. I truly believe I am living the best years of my life with them at these ages. If I could only slow down the clock??? Well, at least I still have my puppy at home with me! She sure keeps me busy:)

Ragnar Relay - 205.9 Mile Run!

Jim & I spent a weekend among friends, running from La Crosse, WI to Minneapolis, MN. What an adventure! We left Thursday afternoon, traveling to La Crosse. We got to enjoy the evening with a dinner out and drinks. We were up early Friday morning to start our running adventures! We split up in to two different vans, with each person taking 3 different legs of the relay. Some of us ran in extreme heat, some in a hard down pour of rain, but we all got to run during the middle of the night, in the peaceful, cool, star-filled sky! It took our team 29 hours, 47 minutes, and 17 seconds to run 205.9 miles. Our team averaged 8:57 minute miles. Some of us were able to run 5:30 minute miles (down hills), while others of us were struggling through the 11:00 minute miles (up hills). There are so many fun stories we shared... From runs with minimal clothing, to attempting to sleep on high school wrestling mats, to a car battery dying & needing a jump, to not using any A/C in our vehicle after a debate on catching a chill when you are done running. The fun memories could go on & on! Saturday afternoon, we crossed the finish line at Boom Island as a team. What a conclusion to all the hard work we had just accomplished. Needless to say, Jim & I were both really tired & super sore. I am more sore from this adventure than I had been after both marathons I had run. And after running on only 3 hours of sleep, Jim & I crashed hard once we returned home. Today, as we look back, we are reminiscing about the fun times we had & so thankful that we are blessed with such wonderful friends. We will always remember this experience & look forward to many more like this!!!

A Major League Player!

Lauryn gets to throw out the 1st pitch at the Twin's game!

So, after many months of practicing, the day had finally come. We went down early to the Twin's game, got to stand on the field, see the dugout, get as close as we'll ever get to a few Twin's players, and then watch Lauryn throw that first pitch.

She threw great... making it all the way to the catcher with no problems. In fact, she probably could have even stood on the pitchers mound & done just fine. She's got an arm for a 10 year old!

Then, she gets a hug from T.C., the mascot... she just LOVED that!

And to top it all off, the Twin's won today:)

Welcome Nora Ann Simones!

My sister & her family had a baby girl today!
August 15th at 7:00AM

7 lbs 14 oz

19" long

Welcomed by her family; Pat, Cori, Logan, and Cade

***We all enjoyed meeting her today. She is absolutely beautiful:)

What a Weekend!

We had a great weekend! Friday night Lauryn had a soccer game. She played great, as usual. All three kids had such a great time because they all had a friend sleep over. Then Saturday morning I woke up and did my training run; 16 miles around the lakes. It was a gorgeous morning & so much fun to run with friends. Then Saturday I worked with Lauryn all day, re-doing her bedroom. She went from having a room full of butterflies, flowers, and pink (everything she thinks is too babyish) to having a room with turquoise & lime green dots. It is super cute! We also took the time to clean out her closets & pass along tons of clothes & toys that she no longer plays with. Her room is definitely fit for a "pre-teen" girl now:) Then today was the best day ever! Jim & I got to go on our hot air balloon ride. We had the experience of a life time. First of all, we went over the St. Croix river & dipped down in to the water and got our feet wet. Thankfully (at the last minute) I did not wear my current running shoes! Then, we were also up with another balloon & the two balloons bumped in to each other (they call this "kissing"). They also told us that this does not happen all that often. The best part though, was our landing... The winds had picked up a little bit and we were moving faster than the pilots had hoped for. So we missed our landing spot, giving us another 45 minutes up in the air. But then, we had to land in White Bear Lake! Yes, THE ACTUAL LAKE! The pilots were quite stressed because we were running out of day light & fuel. Jim & I thought it was quite fun. And amazingly, all the people outside at their cabins/homes came running to help us. They were all so excited to say that they got to help a hot air balloon land. Then once we returned to the staging area, we cracked some champagne to celebrate our flight. All & all, it was such a fun adventure! Following are a couple photos...

The only picture I could get of us... up in the air!

12 Year Anniversary!

Wow! I can not believe that we have been married for 12 years today. Where does time go? It's amazing when you step back & look at everything you have done & accomplished together:) We had a wonderful Anniversary night away. We went to Stillwater and toured the town, went on the MN Zephyr, and then stayed over night. We sure enjoyed sleeping in without kids or a puppy waking us up for some reason or another. This morning we were supposed to go on a hot air balloon ride, but the weather did not cooperate. So, we are looking at doing it next weekend now. We're keeping our fingers crossed, as we were both really excited to do this! So, we'll probably just hang out as a family tonight & order in for dinner, which everyone always enjoys. The boys appreciate not having to go out & sit in a restaurant, while I appreciate not having to cook!

It's a... GIRL!

Welcome Liberty (Libby)! Yesterday, Jim & I drove to Des Moines, IA to pick up our newest member of our family. She is 7 weeks old and just about the sweetest thing there is! She did so well on our 4 hour drive home. I, of course, enjoyed every minute of holding her:) It was so cute, when we pulled in the drive way, the kids were all waiting outside to meet her. Lauryn's smile was priceless. She was grinning from ear to ear. I don't recall ever seeing her as excited for anything! Libby had a great first night. She woke up two times, went out to do her business, and then was perfectly content with going right back in the crate to sleep. Now today the kids are enjoying her and she is fitting right in. I think she has got to be the most laid back puppy ever. We are so lucky!!! These pictures don't show her true size well. She is just a tiny thing right now. I have to savor this because she'll be big in a matter of weeks! I can't wait for everyone to meet her. And for those far away, I'm sure I'll be posting updated pictures often. (As I write this, she is sleeping on my lap and I am in heaven!)

Will it ever happen?

*** Do you think that helmet will protect his nogin?***

Okay, I do not get how Sean can be FIVE years old, and still not know how to ride his bike without training wheels. It baffles me because Zach was practically on two wheels before he was walking:) But Sean is just a wee bit more cautious than Zach and just does not have that desire to roam fast & free. He is perfectly content with the training wheels. So, for now, we will keep it a work in progress...

Summer Travels

Well, I finally took the time to organize pictures! Our family (along with Jim's Mom, 3 of his siblings, & their families) just spent 2 weeks in Ireland. We pretty much traveled the whole island. It was a wonderful experience and the kids loved spending time with their cousins that they never get to see. The scenery is beautiful. Our family has unanimously agreed that the Ring of Kerry & Giants Causeway were our two favorite places to see. But then we were home for one week and off to a cabin for a week with my family. What a different change of pace from Ireland. We slept in every day... Relaxed in the sun... (unlike all the rain & cold in Ireland) Spent time on the lake... Ate way too much! Again, the kids enjoyed time with family and cousins. It sure feels good to be home now. I can't believe how much laundry I have had. I guess it is inevitable with 3 active kids.

Welcome!

Well, I finally decided it was time to start our own family blog. We are hoping to keep it up to date so that all our family & friends can share in our busy lives. There is always something new & adventuresome happening here! Enjoy:)