Call me crazy, but I love to run! I have set a running goal this year and I am letting you all know about it so you can all hold me accountable! It is a crazy goal considering I do not run fast and I started out the year only being able to run 3 miles. My goal is to run 500 miles in 2010! Nathan gave me a "Garmin Forerunner 305" running watch for Christmas and I love it! It tracks my exact mileage, pace, elevation, and course. I will post updates regularly (at least once a month) and I would love all the feedback and cheering I can get! I also have a goal to finish a half marathon in June! Wish me luck!
Total miles to date: 66.3
Longest run to date: 6.23 miles in 1 hour and 3 minutes
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Nick's School Music Program
Nick's music program was on January 25th. They did a great job and had several singing numbers and even some performances on the Xylophones. It was very nice. Good job Nick!
Painting Pottery!
We had a family night at the local pottery place. The children each painted a new plate for my kitchen wall. This will be my Mother's Day gifts and they are currently wrapped in a box until then. It is all I wanted and we had a no school day with nothing to do, so I took the kids to paint pottery. Good times! When they were each done with the plates, they picked out a figurine to paint, and they each did a coaster too! Lots of creativity to go around!
Andrew really got into the painting...
Ben loved it! He picked a dinosaur to paint...
Nick found a dragon, of course...
Tatiana chose a teddy bear with an "April" banner for her birthday. The lady said she sets the birthstones in the paws after it is fired. It turned out very nice.
After Andrew was done painting his plate, I wanted to put his little hand print in the middle of it. He was pretty much thinking I am crazy when I started to paint his hand! Just look at that face!
He is still not sure what to think about this, but he plays along. Such a sweet boy! Such a priceless Mother's Day gift! Andrew's is the only one I got a good look at. I want the rest to be a surprise!
Andrew really got into the painting...
Ben loved it! He picked a dinosaur to paint...
Nick found a dragon, of course...
Tatiana chose a teddy bear with an "April" banner for her birthday. The lady said she sets the birthstones in the paws after it is fired. It turned out very nice.
After Andrew was done painting his plate, I wanted to put his little hand print in the middle of it. He was pretty much thinking I am crazy when I started to paint his hand! Just look at that face!
He is still not sure what to think about this, but he plays along. Such a sweet boy! Such a priceless Mother's Day gift! Andrew's is the only one I got a good look at. I want the rest to be a surprise!
Tatiana sewing!
Tatiana has a new hobby that she loves and that she is really good at! Sewing! Her first project was taking scraps of fleece she collected after we made fleece blankets for the needy at church and she sewed them together to make a quilt for her beloved "Kissy-Bear", who has been her favorite companion since she received her on her first Christmas! She did a nice job!
Here is Tatiana, Kissy-Bear and her new quilt.
She also made a little doll, complete with yarn hair and button eyes, for a Brownie sister. This friend of hers has been diagnosed with Celiec disease and has been very sick, so Tatiana wanted to make something for her to make her feel better. Crafty and compassionate! That's my little angel!
The doll turned out so cute that we want to make more for gifts and of of course one for herself! She even stiched on the smile and the heart. She is a quick study! We forgot to take a picture of her with the finished project though. Oh well, there will be more.
Here is Tatiana, Kissy-Bear and her new quilt.
She also made a little doll, complete with yarn hair and button eyes, for a Brownie sister. This friend of hers has been diagnosed with Celiec disease and has been very sick, so Tatiana wanted to make something for her to make her feel better. Crafty and compassionate! That's my little angel!
The doll turned out so cute that we want to make more for gifts and of of course one for herself! She even stiched on the smile and the heart. She is a quick study! We forgot to take a picture of her with the finished project though. Oh well, there will be more.
Nick's Basketball
Nick has joined the basketball team with many of his buddies from school. He has a great time and is quite good. He enjoys playing defense the most. They won their first game; 42-9! They lost their second game; 16-17. They are a really good team and a lot of fun to watch! Nick is #9.
Go Green!
Go Green!
Nick's Cub Scout Lock In
Nathan took Nick to his last (Nick's last, not Nathan's) Cub Scout Lock-in. Nick had a blast! There is so much to do! The theme this year was Jungle Safari and as you can see from the pictures, it was a wild night!
Nick's Arrow of Light
On January 5th Nick received his Arrow of Light Award! This is the highest honor that can be earned in Cub Scouting and we are VERY proud of him! Many Packs allow their boys two years to earn the Webelos Pin and our Pack only give the boys one year, so we are proud of him for that accomplishment. Not every Cub Scout earns the Arrow of Light and we are proud of him for that as well! But even beyond that, Nick also received his "ALL 20" patch! That means he earned all 20 of the Webelos activity pins that are possible to earn in the Webelos book! That kid is an overachiever! We are so proud of you Nick!
This night was also my last official act as the Cub Master and Cub Committee Chairman of Pack 365. What a HUGE honor it was to present my own son with such high awards! I have been in the pack for four years, starting off as a Den Leader, and have been doing Cub Scouting longer than Nick! I have greatly enjoyed my time with Nick and the other boys. I have loved working with my son and seeing all the boys grow and mature though the years. But now it is time to move on and the Pack is being left in very good hands! I will enjoy the free time it will give me to be with my younger children more.
This night was also my last official act as the Cub Master and Cub Committee Chairman of Pack 365. What a HUGE honor it was to present my own son with such high awards! I have been in the pack for four years, starting off as a Den Leader, and have been doing Cub Scouting longer than Nick! I have greatly enjoyed my time with Nick and the other boys. I have loved working with my son and seeing all the boys grow and mature though the years. But now it is time to move on and the Pack is being left in very good hands! I will enjoy the free time it will give me to be with my younger children more.
Cub Scout Hike
On December 28th Nick and I went on a hike with the other Cub Scouts and two other parents around Camp Adair. It was a cold, but beautiful morning and the boys had a GREAT time!
Of course, Nick wore his crazy hat. I do not think he will ever outgrow that thing!
They made many cool discoveries, like the super neat sound that is made when you throw a rock into the lake that has a thin layer of ice frozen on top. It is pretty cool!
We stopped at this overlook at t bird refuge there to have our sack lunch before heading back. What a fun day!
Of course, Nick wore his crazy hat. I do not think he will ever outgrow that thing!
They made many cool discoveries, like the super neat sound that is made when you throw a rock into the lake that has a thin layer of ice frozen on top. It is pretty cool!
We stopped at this overlook at t bird refuge there to have our sack lunch before heading back. What a fun day!
Christmas Day!
Christmas day was spent in our pajamas and relaxing, as we always do in our home. I love this tradition. One day out of the year where I know I will be able to relax and just ENJOY my family!
We woke up and the kids tore into their presents right away. Santa ate the cookies and left the gifts. Nick got the DS game he wanted, Tatiana recieved her pink Razor scooter, Ben got a "DS" which is the VTeck V Smile game system and Andrew recieved his own train set so he doesn't have to keep stealing his brothers! It was a great morning!
Our kids are so grateful and loving!
We spent time in the afternoon putting together our puzzle for this year, another family tradition. Honestly, Tatiana probably did most of it! Good work!
Merry Christmas!
We woke up and the kids tore into their presents right away. Santa ate the cookies and left the gifts. Nick got the DS game he wanted, Tatiana recieved her pink Razor scooter, Ben got a "DS" which is the VTeck V Smile game system and Andrew recieved his own train set so he doesn't have to keep stealing his brothers! It was a great morning!
Our kids are so grateful and loving!
We spent time in the afternoon putting together our puzzle for this year, another family tradition. Honestly, Tatiana probably did most of it! Good work!
Merry Christmas!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Christmas Eve
For our Advent countdown calendar this year, we did the one out of the children's "Friend" magazine. Every day told about a different tradition around the world. We tried to do most of them and it turned out to be a very fun way to celebrate Christmas this year! This is the "England" evening. We did the crackers with the hats and toys inside like the children in England do. We had a lot of fun with this!
On Christmas Eve we had our local missionaries over for dinner. We enjoyed a nice ham dinner, shared Christmas legends and stories and give the Elders their gifts, wrapped up cereal, chips, and Ramen!
We decorated gingerbread cookies on Christmas Eve too. The Elders each did one as well, but I think the kids enjoyed theirs the most!
Andrew wasn't sure if he was suppose to bite it or play with it, so he gave biting a try...hmmm?
Ben is very proud of his!
Tatiana made a gingerbread girl, very nice.
Nick ate his head before I could take a picture, so he replaced it with his own.
After the Elders left we took part in our newest family tradition. This year, for the first time, we exchanged names for gift giving. The only criteria is that the gift had to be homemade! It was a wonderful way to focus on the giving and really think about what you can make for someone else that they could use or want. We exchanged these gifts on Christmas Eve to let them stand apart from all the other gifts we would be opening on Christmas morning.
On Christmas Eve we had our local missionaries over for dinner. We enjoyed a nice ham dinner, shared Christmas legends and stories and give the Elders their gifts, wrapped up cereal, chips, and Ramen!
We decorated gingerbread cookies on Christmas Eve too. The Elders each did one as well, but I think the kids enjoyed theirs the most!
Andrew wasn't sure if he was suppose to bite it or play with it, so he gave biting a try...hmmm?
Ben is very proud of his!
Tatiana made a gingerbread girl, very nice.
Nick ate his head before I could take a picture, so he replaced it with his own.
After the Elders left we took part in our newest family tradition. This year, for the first time, we exchanged names for gift giving. The only criteria is that the gift had to be homemade! It was a wonderful way to focus on the giving and really think about what you can make for someone else that they could use or want. We exchanged these gifts on Christmas Eve to let them stand apart from all the other gifts we would be opening on Christmas morning.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Gingerbread houses
I told you all that I would get holiday pictures on here eventually. So I will do a few posts updating and showing off some Holiday fun!
Here are the kids and their Gingerbread house creations. Both Nick and Tatiana's school classes did Gingerbread house parties. The kids had fun makeing them out of graham crachers, frosting and an assortment of every kind of candy you can think of! There were some very creative ones! Good work guys!
We didn't want Ben to be left out so he made one at home. So sweet!
Here are the kids and their Gingerbread house creations. Both Nick and Tatiana's school classes did Gingerbread house parties. The kids had fun makeing them out of graham crachers, frosting and an assortment of every kind of candy you can think of! There were some very creative ones! Good work guys!
We didn't want Ben to be left out so he made one at home. So sweet!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
It's been a while!
It's been pretty busy around here, but with four kids and active lifestyles, what else is new. I will be posting pictures sometime soon, but wanted to get on here so everyone knows we are doing well.
We had a fantastic Christmas! We stayed home like usual, and had a very peaceful and relaxing Christmas. Our tradition is to have our big ham dinner and do Christ centered activities on Christmas Eve. This year we invited the missionaries over for dinner and gave them gifts to open while here. We wrapped up ramen, cereal, and chips as presents. Every missionary needs food!
Then on Christmas Day we woke up to open presents and had a wonderful morning. I remember last Christmas when we woke up before the sun and the power was out because of an ice storm! This year was much easier. Christmas day was spent in our pajamas, eating leftovers, playing with new toys and gadgets, and putting together our traditional family puzzle. I did go running because Nathan gave me a new Garmin running watch and I had to try it out, when I returned I had to sit in the hot tub, then I did shower and change, but I only upgraded to sweats. LOL! THen I 'lifeguarded" Ben as he went in the hottub. It was a great day!
The day after Christmas we went sledding with some friends up at the Santiam Snow Park again. We love it up there! It was windy this time, so a bit colder, but we still stayed all afternoon. No emergencies to help with this time, thank goodness!
The rest of winter break was spent hanging out and doing family stuff, having playdates, and Nick and I went on a Webelos hike the Monday after Christmas. That was the last thing he had to do to earn his Arrow of Light badge! We are VERY proud of him! More on that in another post.
On New Year's Eve we had our annual party. We watch the ball drop at 9:00PM live online. Then all the kids get the excitement of the ball drop, the noise makers, and ringing in the new year without having to stay up so late. Then we put the two little boys to bed and the rest of us stayed up and played games. Tatiana had a friend stay until 10:30 and Nick had a friend sleep over. It was a fun new year!
Now the kids are all back to school and life is getting into a groove again. We made it through winter break without any illnesses, but now Andrew has a bad cold. Poor baby.
Nathan brought home some new pets from work. One of his staff gave him two stick bugs or walking sticks. So now we have some cool looking bugs for pets. I am less than excited to about them, but at least they are low maintenance and I don't have to touch them! I did take their big cage habitat into the school for both Nick and Tatiana's show and tell this week. Fun.
I think that covers it. Now I will try to get pictures up and try to be more consistent...hmmmm....we'll see.
We had a fantastic Christmas! We stayed home like usual, and had a very peaceful and relaxing Christmas. Our tradition is to have our big ham dinner and do Christ centered activities on Christmas Eve. This year we invited the missionaries over for dinner and gave them gifts to open while here. We wrapped up ramen, cereal, and chips as presents. Every missionary needs food!
Then on Christmas Day we woke up to open presents and had a wonderful morning. I remember last Christmas when we woke up before the sun and the power was out because of an ice storm! This year was much easier. Christmas day was spent in our pajamas, eating leftovers, playing with new toys and gadgets, and putting together our traditional family puzzle. I did go running because Nathan gave me a new Garmin running watch and I had to try it out, when I returned I had to sit in the hot tub, then I did shower and change, but I only upgraded to sweats. LOL! THen I 'lifeguarded" Ben as he went in the hottub. It was a great day!
The day after Christmas we went sledding with some friends up at the Santiam Snow Park again. We love it up there! It was windy this time, so a bit colder, but we still stayed all afternoon. No emergencies to help with this time, thank goodness!
The rest of winter break was spent hanging out and doing family stuff, having playdates, and Nick and I went on a Webelos hike the Monday after Christmas. That was the last thing he had to do to earn his Arrow of Light badge! We are VERY proud of him! More on that in another post.
On New Year's Eve we had our annual party. We watch the ball drop at 9:00PM live online. Then all the kids get the excitement of the ball drop, the noise makers, and ringing in the new year without having to stay up so late. Then we put the two little boys to bed and the rest of us stayed up and played games. Tatiana had a friend stay until 10:30 and Nick had a friend sleep over. It was a fun new year!
Now the kids are all back to school and life is getting into a groove again. We made it through winter break without any illnesses, but now Andrew has a bad cold. Poor baby.
Nathan brought home some new pets from work. One of his staff gave him two stick bugs or walking sticks. So now we have some cool looking bugs for pets. I am less than excited to about them, but at least they are low maintenance and I don't have to touch them! I did take their big cage habitat into the school for both Nick and Tatiana's show and tell this week. Fun.
I think that covers it. Now I will try to get pictures up and try to be more consistent...hmmmm....we'll see.
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