More please

I decided today that after work, me and the kids were gonna have some fun! I swung by Chick-Fil-A for "Milkshake Monday", grabbed dinner, and Kellen, Tatum and I quickly ate and headed to the pool for some afternoon fun before bath and bedtime. Well, that plan worked really well, and little did I know that I had the makings of a little waterbaby on my hands!

We went to the pool for a little while yesterday afternoon, and Tatum started out tightly attached to me. Typical, I thought, since it was our first pool trip of the summer. She ended up loving the pool, and floated around on her tummy, back, went underwater and even ended her own private lesson by kicking on the side of the pool and then jumping into the water to me. She did great as well! Ms Cymon is just the greatest!!

At any rate, she walked into the pool all on her own today, even though she had to walk past the sprinkly fountains - for those of you that don't know - little Miss Tatum does NOT like to get splashed in the face. At all. Well, she walked by them, and got her face wet, and it didn't seem to bother her that much! YAY!

She proceeded to walk into the water, all the way up to her chin! We floated and played and she had a fun time. Then we decided to try out the shell slide. Kellen, of course, helped his little sister climb up the stairs and position herself on the slide.

Then off she went. Into the water, under the water, quickly grabbed up by Mommy and squeals of delight abounded. She LOVED it! Rapidly signing "more", she quickly indicated her enthusiasm with this particular activity, much to the amazement of the pool-goers sitting around observing this little pool-princess...

I lost count of how many times she went down that slide...she just loved it and the entire pool experience today.

Swim lesson pictures...

I just cannot get over what a great job he did yesterday in the pool...He even swam for a while WITH HIS FACE IN THE WATER!!!

Unbelievable...simply unbelievable.

Kellen's 1st Swim Lesson

Kellen had his first private swim lesson today and he did WONDERFULLY!! Kellen did more in this lesson with Ms Cymon - and was more enthused about doing things - than he's been in two weeks worth of lessons X four years through CS (I started him in lessons in '04)...(Now, I understand that there are pros and cons to private lessons vs classes, but WOW!!)

The only problem that we had was that there were a LOT of people in the pool area when we arrived waiting on their bus (apparently when camps stay at this location, that's where they meet to wait on buses) and they didn't leave until 8:30, so we didn't get the lesson started until ~ 8:25 because Kellen was being really shy (???don't know what that was about???)

He warmed up to her quickly, and she was G-R-E-A-T with him...

Training Day #2

YAY! Two days in a row!! I'm going to have the wierdest tan lines, too...

Anyway...the kids did GREAT today...Kellen played on the playground and Tatum just hung out in the stroller getting a ride. It wasn't so bad pushing her, I'll just have to continually remind myself NOT to hunch over while I'm jogging, which I appear to have a tendency to do while pushing the stroller.

I timed myself today...I did 1 mile in 12:10 - not bad considering yesterday was the first day of any "real" activity in a L-O-N-G time.

Which brings me to my question...geared really to anyone but primary to the more experienced runners (or those to access with more experienced runners) out there...

What's a "good" goal pace for running/jogging?

I know that it's highly individualized, but give me a ballpark here (feel free to add a comment)

You know me...the Type-A personality trying to shoot for something other than (or in addition to) mileage.

Pace per mile for a 5K
Pace per mile for a 10K
Pace per mile for a half marathon

And, to clarify, I'm not taking for "elite" athletes here...just ranges for the normal person...I want something to shoot for, not a number that will make me want to shoot myself.

Training day #1

Well, I started training!

I just went and jogged my first mile - and did good on the first 1/3, but had to stop due to kids and lost my momentum. I then jogged the rest of the way with a non-jogging stroller pushing a 25+lb Tatum...Considering that during the 2nd lap (on an outdoor track that a 1/3 lap) I had to stop to console a screaming Kellen who thought I was going to run away because I was so far away from him and he couldn't keep up with me, (and I couldn't get it through his head that he didn't have to follow the path to get to me...he could cut through the GRASS!! - a realization that never did sink through) then got him settled on the playground equipment and finally finished my mile jogging the entire way but the very last portion...I guess it wasn't too bad. Especially considering that this was my first time back doing anything physical since before I had Tatum. (Whoa, scary - isn't it?!?)

Except for two guys playing basketball and another that came to the park later riding his bike, we had the park to ourselves. I think those guys might think I'm crazy, but hey - who cares? All-in-all, for a first day of training and for the kids not being used to this routine, I think it went well. Kellen didn't want to leave the park, even though he didn't quite understand why I was running in circles. But he did comment that I was running fast (bless his heart, I can't wait until he actually sees someone that CAN run really fast LOL).

I just feel so outta it! At any rate, at least I beat that "but I just can't get started" mentality...I'm excited about this and now I'm at least "started" on my training...And I feel really good right now!!

Taking the plunge

So I'm contemplating (well, I'm beyond contemplating at this point - I'm trying to figure out training logistics, i.e., how to find time to train when I have a hubby who works so much and what to do with the kids, etc.) training for a half-marathon. Specifically the Houston Half Marathon in Jaunary 2009.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Wish me luck.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Fathers Day to my daddy...to whom I am and will always be his little Princess Lynn..

Happy Fathers Day to the wonderful father of my beautiful and precious children...Watching you with them makes me love you even more than I ever thought possible! You are a great father to them both and I am honored that God is allowing us to raise these children together.

Happy Fathers Day to all the daddy's out there! Hug your babies!!

SOLD!!

Our house, that is. WHOOP! After two "official" days of being on the market. Praise God!

I guess I should offically say that the sale is pending, because the place is still in our name, but everything should be going through on Monday or Tuesday, and all of the paperwork and fiscal finalization should *hopefully* be through by the end of this coming week.

Yay!

Now we'll just have to deal with transition issues...Kellen has already told me today that he's going to be sad and miss our house when we move to our new house. Matt and I are so excited, but we have to remember that this house is ALL he's EVER known, so we'll have to respect his anxiety about this change and validate his apprehension and sadness. He likes the new house, but he WILL miss this house. We'll just have to be prepared for some of those transition issues when we do make the move...

Double Rainbow

Isn't God cool?

Pictures and Video...

It's been a while, so forgive me, but the pictures are long overdue...here are some pictures and video from the family reunion weekend (Memorial Day)...We can all clean up nicely, now can't we?

What is it with boys, tools and big piles of rocks? Is it genetic?

One of Kellen and Matt's side trips...they included Paw Paw on this one...
By the time the wedding rolled around, Kellen was just utterly worn out...and asleep in Daddy's arms. Now Tatum, on the other hand, was being loud. And in an old country church, even sitting in the back, that just doesn't fly. So I heard that the wedding was nice and interesting....but didn't actually see it for myself. At least we know Aunt Bea got married successfully!
Tatum was more interested in playing outside...that was LOADS more fun for her than sitting inside having to be quiet in a church. Can ya' blame her? The weather was gorgeous!

A visit later to Aunt Emma's was in order as well, and the kids had fun outside yet again...Kellen was, as always, so entertaining for Tatum!

And what would a family reunion weekend be with out some water play, huh? Tatum would have NO PART of the splash-hose or water guns...but the kiddie pool was just her speed, and size!
Kellen, on the other hand...wanted to play with the real water...and had fun doing so. His fun just included wanting to play but not actually wanting to get his face wet. It was interesting to watch. You can see the sequence as he battles the water splashing hose...Just look at the intensity on that face!

And then a video to prove that his Daddy and Mommy may have had a little bit of fun playing with him and that water hose as well...



He also had quite a bit of fun at the hotel pool....Look at this little boy all decked out in his Spider Man attire. He's set and ready to go! Unfortunately for us, the goggles were worth what we paid for them, but he loved the boogie board and snorkle, so it was worth it!

Hmmm

The #1 way you know it's time for a new pedicure:

Your son looks at your feet and says, "Mommy, the pink isn't pink all over on your toes! There are white spaces!"

Yup...it's that bad. And I'm not exactly sure why I'm sharing with the world, but whatever...

"When I grow up"

According to Kellen, when he grows up he's going to build things...like fences and houses and anything else that he sees that he wants to build.

He told me this on the way to school this morning, as we passed by a construction site and he commented, "Those guys are really working hard to build that big house!"

So I asked him what about taking care of the cows and shooting the birds to eat that he had told me he wanted to do.

His response? He's going to do LOTS of things when he grows up. And he'll need his Mommy to tell him how to do it and make sure that he gets up in time to do it.

That prompted the beginning of an introductory lesson in "responsibility" - at a 5 year (er...4 yr 11 month) old level. You know, the "when you're old enough to have a big boy job, Mommy won't have to tell you how to do it or when to get up to do it because you'll be responsible enough to do it yourself" type of a conversation.

It was quite funny and ended with him telling me, "But I'll always be your son, Mommy."

Yes, baby...that you will...

It's gone

It's amazing what a difference a piece of furniture makes...especially one that seems to symbolize the "baby" aspect of MY BABY.

Wondering what I'm talking about?

Well, we sold Tatum's highchair today. I actually sold it to a mom on a mom's board that I'm on...and she picked it up while I was at work. Matt actually took it out of the house and stuff, so it was gone when I walked in the house today.

WOW.

It was just another realization of how much she's grown up. My little baby girl. That's not quite such a baby anymore.

WOW.

We have her sitting in one of those contraptions that attaches to the actual table and "floats" off of the ground...a great space saver and it allows her to actually sit at the table with her brother, which she loves. We have been using it for a while, and NOT using the highchair, so since we're trying to be more efficient with our STUFF and space, especially considering our pending move, it needed to go.

But it really took me aback when I walked into the house and didn't see it, despite the fact that I knew I wasn't going to see it. Adjustments, changes...life goes on, now doesn't it?

Wonder what little sentimental thing is going to get me next?

Some things I learned...

while Kellen was at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's...

1. Tatum REALLY enjoys being with her big brother...and misses him terribly when he isn't around. As in, she looked for him when we got home last night at the house, then when I asked if she wanted to call and talk to Kellen, shook her head, YES, then babbled to him on the phone when we FINALLY connected with him. It was ADORABLE!
2. And while on the phone with big brother, I learned that Maw Maw and Paw Paw will pay an arm and a leg to feed him pizza and let him play games just because he wants to (well, not really an arm and a leg, but maybe a couple of fingers *grin*), but then again, they do only have another 2 months to spend that kind of time with him before he starts school *sniff* - AND - Incredible Pizza really is incredible...
3. Tatum LOVES to play. And is a squealer while this oh-so-favorite of activities. One of her favorite games is "Getcha' " and it consists of me running after her saying, "I'm gonna' getcha' ", her laughing and squealing, running away until such time as she decides she WANTS to be "gotten" then stopping, turning around, and letting me "get her". Getting her consists of tickling - which she ADORES! and blowing raspberries on her tummy, which makes her giggle and squeal with delight.
4. Tatum also loves getting into cabinets and drawers, something that Kellen didn't care that much about AT ALL. She'll try EVERY cabinet and drawer in the kitchen until she finds one that either doesn't have a child-proof contraption on it or one that does that she can open anyway (apparently there are some that she's strong enough to pull open despite the safety features...go figure). She'll then proceed to pull whatever is in that particular cabinet or drawer out, much to her delight and my dismay, until such point in time as I catch her and she runs away, thinking we'll play the "Getcha' " game. (Note to Mommy and Daddy, the new house MUST have approprate child safety mechanisms on ALL necessary cabinets and drawers, as finding your daughter with a package is lightbulbs in her hands is rather concerning)

It was a LOT of fun just to play with her and interact with her one-on-one last night...even if it was for a relatively short period of time....With bedtime being around 7 and all...She's such a joy!!

She's a bully?

We had quite the busy day over here today. Here's what I (with the kids help) have gotten done:

• I've kept the laundry going and think I *might* have one more load TOTAL if you count Tatum's dirty diapers, with some random pieces of dirty laundry here and there;
• The dishes are done in the dishwasher and need to be put away;
• Kellen has gotten his room picked up - including sheets changed and laundered;
• I picked up Tatum's room before her nap - including sheets changed and laundered as well;
• The kitchen floors have just been swept and mopped;
• In the midst of this, Kellen was supposed to have his Little Dragon class at 10 AM, we went there and there was no one there, save for one other parent and kid no instructor, doors locked, nada.
• So we went straight to the grocery store because I decided that today would be a good day for a partial once-a-month cooking spree. (Can we say avoidance?)
• So I made a batch of pizza pasta casserole, cooled three pans of it and they are now sitting, all nice, wrapped up and labeled, in the freezer. I also have 3 more lbs of meat awaiting me to decide which recipe I'm going to tackle next. Yes, after I get Kellen to bed I'm going to try and finish out the cooking - crazy me. Perhaps I can finish watching the episode and a half of LOST that I need to catch up on at the same time...
• Kellen played outside for a while during Tatums nap (he "rested" for a bit but never did actually go to sleep, so after an hour or so, I let him get up and go outside to play (with modified supervision and locks on the gates, mind you). Boy did he have fun!
• We also hung out with some friends at McDonalds - sorry Ronald McDonald's, as Kellen refers to it - playing for a while. This is where I discovered what I've referenced as the title of this post.

Apparently Tatum has a bully streak...maybe it's a tendency...maybe it's just because she's used to playing with her brother, although I really haven't seen her do this with him. She was aggressive to poor Sophie at McDonalds. And Sophie just took it! Vicky and I are both of the mind to let the two of them work it out, thank goodness, but the biggest thing we had to worry about were their overprotective big brothers trying to solve their problems for them! Now THAT was funny (and sweet, really...if you think about it), although we were telling the boys to just leave them alone. But they were both really just trying to help...

At any rate, Tatum would steal Sophie's "baby", Sophie would scream, we would tell Tatum to stop doing that (at least I think I told her to stop) and then tell her to give it back, she would walk over to Sophie and give it back to her (most of the time - there was a time or two that Tatum did a straight up "psyc" to Sophie - oh my!). Vicky would tell Sophie to say thank you and then Tatum would do the sign for "Thank you" and then Sophie would throw the baby on the ground and get mad that Tatum would pick it up and repeat the cycle. I did NOT do a very good job of keeping a poker face on this one...really and truly I did not. But I have just never seen her act this way.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure how many times I've actually seen her interact with kids her own age! I drop her off at daycare, see some interaction there...same at pick up, same type of thing at church nursery, but I haven't taken her many places where there are kids her own age and actually been WITH her while she's interacted with them. Wow...Hadn't thought about that until just now.

Is this the behavior that daycare has only alluded to as the reason that Tatum has been bitten? As in...Tatum took a friends toy and the friend got mad and bit Tatum on the "insert bitten body part here" Hmmm...Again, I had not observed this behavior until today...but my my my...

Is she a bully? Was she just playing rough? Being overly friendly? Goodness...

Dr. Gerren

The title of the post should say it all, shouldn't it?

SHE PASSED HER DEFENSE!!!!

Now the final hurdle will be the changes/edits and finishing touches on her dissertation, with a June 20th submission deadline if she wants to make the August 2008 graduation. Officially; however, she has a year after her defense to submit her dissertation to the thesis clerk - but I don't think she wants to go there at all with that long of a time frame!

Way to go, Mom...I'm so proud of you and your hard work, dedication and determination. You've always said that I have the stick-to-it-ness...but if so, I certainly got it from someone, now didn't I?

Wish her luck...and say a prayer!

Mom is officially defending her dissertation tomorrow afternoon at 1:30. And even this process, what should be the downhill slide, has been riddled with bumps. But, she's here!

Please say a prayer that she have the words that she needs when she needs them to express what she has worked so long and hard to accomplish that she is able to convey her research effectively and appropriately to her committee members during this defense.

God, I have a question

During our prayers tonight, Kellen decided to ask God a question...and the conversation went something along these lines...

God, I need to ask you a question. Do you ever get tired?

(Slight pause)

You don't?

Why don't you get tired?

(Pause)

Is it because that's just how you were made?

(Pause)

Oh it is. Oh, ok.

Memorial Day

Maw Maw got Kellen a 2008 flag shirt and we wanted him to wear it in celebration of Memorial Day. The problem was that he was already dressed yesterday morning when we got the shirt out. For those of you that don't know, once Kellen gets dressed, it's rather difficult to get him to change his clothes unless you have a REALLY GOOD REASON.

So, I sat down and talked with him about Memorial Day...What it means, why we celebrate it, and why we wanted him to wear his special flag shirt.

For the rest of the day, he went up to people, pointed out his flag shirt, and proclaimed something to the effect of,

"I'm wearing this flag shirt to remember all of the people who have fought and died so that we can live and be free."

Thank you to all who have given the ultimate sacrifice so that we can do just that...and thank you to the families of those individuals. God Bless you.

Version 2.0

I've learned that if Tatum doesn't think that her dinner and bedtime routine is happening at the appropriate time (approximately 6:00 PM for a start time), she will morph into someone elses child. Whose child she becomes I'm not quite sure...perhaps the child of revenge...you know, the "Just wait 'till you have children of your own child" that I've heard told to me a time or two...When I relay stories to my mom, sometimes during this "witching hour" as I'm trying to get her ready for bed amidst the screaming that ensues when you take her out of the bath too soon, although she's virtually falling asleep IN the bathtub - mom just laughs and says to me, "I know dear, I raised that child, too...the one who had to have HER ROUTINE and have it HER WAY. I know just what you're talking about honey."

But I sometimes forget those stories...the stories that my mom tells, although not too often, actually, about not being able to attend church on Sunday morning for years when I was little...initially because of nursing me and my nap schedule, and then because when I napped I HAD to nap in MY OWN crib or bed...at MY OWN designated nap time. I simply remember the stories about my stubborn streak and being the strong willed child - you know, the stories that get told at family gatherings OVER and OVER again...The ones that start out,

"Do you remember when Rebecca was little and she.....(insert story here)"

and end up with the entire family laughing and telling me how much of a handful I was as a child.

I have a feeling that I'm raising version 2.0 of that type of a child. She loves her routine - thrives on it, actually...is ready to start her entire bedtime ritual at 6 or 6:15, which starts with dinner and ends with me holding her next to her crib and then just laying her down with her paci and strategically placing her lovies, blanket and glow worm in her crib with her, telling her goodnight and walking out. That's it. But that's her routine.

And as much as I would, on some nights, LOVE to rock and snuggle and love on her, that just really makes her mad and messes her up big time for the night!

Did I create this creature of habit or was she simply born this way?