Funky New Year

Happy New Year! Another year over and a new one's just begun. I seem to be getting my songs mixed up... Maybe that's because I just had the longest trip of my life.

Let's rewind back to Christmas. It was fantastic. Our first Christmas in California was everything it should have been. We had Christmas Eve dinner with friends and Christmas morning we spent opening presents. I made pancakes and we had our breakfast outside (along with some pretty yummy mimosas!). Keller spent the day playing with all that Santa brought him and the girls spent the day playing with their new...well, we were glad all their new toys came with wrapping paper and boxes or they would have had nothing to play with. It was a wonderful day.

The day after Christmas we flew to New York to my parents' house. The trip went very well and was nicely uneventful. We had an early flight out of San Diego. When we made the reservations, the thought was that we leave on the earliest flight out so we get to NY with time to hang out. Well, somehow our connecting flight in Baltimore of all places was changed and we ended up having a 3-hour layover and didn't get into NY until 7:30 or so at night. If I wanted to get in that late, I would have chosen that flight instead of getting up at the crack of dawn. But, I digress.

Our time spent in NY was great. We saw lots of friends and family and had the girls' christening. That was wonderful! My brother is the girls' Godfather (he is also Keller's Godfather) and my wonderful friend Lynne is the girls' Godmother. It was so good to see them and have them be a part of the ceremony. The Deacon really delivered a wonderful service, made it super personal, included all the grandparents, and just was great. Really, we didn't do much other than spend time with everyone. There was the christening and party afterward, then the rest of the time was visiting with friends and family. We went to a holiday lights show which was fine, I guess.

New Year's Eve was quiet. My parents went to their annual party and we stayed in with the kids. When I was a kid, that's essentially how NYE would go: parents would go out and the kids would stay home. Then when the parents got back we would all have ice cream sundaes and watch the ball drop. So we started the tradition with Keller. We made ice cream sundaes and watched a movie. We tried to stay up to ring in the new year but it didn't happen. What do you expect? We have 9-month old twins and a 6-year old. Regardless, it was a fun night! And now it's 2012!

Out of all of us, I would say Lola had the best vacation, though. She stayed with friends of ours who happen to have a pool. And Lola has never been able to pass up a pool in her life. Plus they have 2 dogs of their own, so she was in heaven playing with her friends. Needless to say, she hasn't moved much since we've been home.

The trip home from NY was not as uneventful as the trip to NY. We flew out of Long Island and had a connection in Chicago. I was worried because the layover was short and it was going to be tight getting the connection to San Diego. But we got into Chicago early and there was really no worry about getting that flight to San Diego. But...San Diego was having some fog and visibility issues and closed the airport. So we were diverted to Las Vegas. This would have been fine if we didn't have 3 kids with us. It was a mess. I'm too tired to go into every last detail but we got into LV around 9:30. We decided to rent a car and drive to San Diego instead of trying to get on another flight (we overheard that there weren't any flights until Wednesday....I didn't want to stay in LV for 2 days). We rented a car from Dollar and I'm only mentioning it because they have hideous customer service. Unfortunately, they were the only ones that had a van and that we could rent car seats from, so we were stuck. But going to pick up the car was a pain. They have a huge lot and basically said, "Go pick up your van yourself." They weren't rude but just indifferent. Then they left us to our own devices to install the carseats ourselves. After about 30 minutes of us struggling and the babies literally screaming their heads off, someone came over to see what was going on. She was extremely unhelpful. But despite her, we got the seats in and took off. And arrived in our home at about 4:15am this morning. Ugh.

The kids really handled the whole situation well. They are good travelers. It wasn't until we were sitting in the parking lot for almost an hour that the wheels started falling off the operation. Once we were moving and everyone could fall asleep, it was all right. We still have to go to the airport here in SD to get our luggage, return the van and pick up our own car. Well, as I've come to say: we may not always have peace but there will always be joy! We made it home safely and slept in our own beds and that's the most important thing.

Happy New Year!

Kind and Generous

So yesterday was Thanksgiving. Somehow it was actually possible to be sad and happy at the same time.

I was happy to be spending the day with my wonderful son and husband and very great friends (who are pretty much family). I had a great run in the morning, cooked all afternoon and then ate all night. Not too bad.

I was sad because even with all the love and laughter, I couldn't shake the sadness at what we've lost. I just thought things were going to be so different at this time of year. But life happens when you're making other plans.

I guess there really isn't much else to say. That pretty much sums things up. I'm just trying to keep my head above water and not let the sadness take over. Some days are better than others but for the most part I'm doing all right.

Hope everyone had a great T-giving. Enjoy your leftovers :)

P.S. Today is our dog Lola's birthday. Happy birthday, girl! Hard to believe she's 8 already.

Keep on Smiling

This weekend was heavenly. I just didn't want it to end.

We didn't have to travel. We didn't have to train for anything. We had plans with friends and that was it. And that was awesome.

We actually watched a movie Friday night. It was the first time we watched a movie together in literally months. We watched Smart People with Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker. It was good. Interesting with some funny moments.

Saturday morning was nice and lazy. After breakfast John, Keller, Lola the dog, and I went for a walk and took the soccer ball. We kicked the ball around for a while, until Lola got too annoying and wouldn't let anyone play. We then went to the playground until it started to rain. We ran back home, dried off and then had some lunch.

We then all took naps, which was awesome. We then got up and got ready for Noah's birthday party. That was fun and chaotic. It was at My Gym, which is a free-for-all. Keller just goes crazy there, so it was an hour and a half of chasing him around, making sure he didn't fall off some apparatus.

After Keller went to bed, we watch another movie. We watched No Country for Old Men. While I'm usually not one for extremely violent movies, this was pretty good. It had some very interesting dialogue. I liked it.

Sunday morning we went downtown to watch the Marine Corps Marathon. This was my first (and second) marathon, so it's pretty nostalgic for me. It was a gorgeous morning and it was cool watching all the front runners go by. I usually don't get to see them since I'm way behind them. It was awesome.

After the marathon, we met Eric and Isabel for brunch. We hadn't seen them in a while, and Saturday was Eric's birthday, so we needed to get together. We stuffed ourselves and had a great time.

We then went home, had naps, I went for a run, and then we all went over to Mary and Steve's for a great dinner. The usual suspects were there, and it was a great time.

So, this was my idea of a perfect weekend. Friends, food, and fun! Happy Monday!

All You Zombies

I am a zombie today. This week has just wiped me out. Being ‘on’ from morning until night with an almost 3-year old is quite a lot of work. Not to mention working and everything else that’s going on. I am so tired.

The only good reason why I’m so tired today is because the girls came over last night. As Holly says, that is the best therapy. Sitting with my girls, talking about life and love is the best. I am really lucky to have such good friends. I hope they know how much I appreciate them :)

So, Keller is hysterical. Yesterday morning, we were sitting on the floor playing and Lola was sitting on the floor as well. Lola is our dog, for those of you who don’t know. Well, Lola decides that it’s time to do some licking, which is just gross. So, I said firmly, “Lola!” Then Keller added, without skipping a beat, “Lola, stop licking your crunch.” I only assume ‘crunch’ is Keller’s word for ‘crotch.’ I laughed so hard. Then Keller started laughing. It was a fun moment. And Lola stopped, which is equally funny. Keller told her to stop licking her crunch a couple of times this morning too. I don’t know if I should discourage him from saying that or not. What if he tells someone at school to stop doing something to their crunch?

Anyway, I’m so freaking glad it’s Friday. Happy Weekend, everyone!

Mother's Little Helper

Lola is sick. :( She has a skin infection and has to take 1000 pills a day and have her little spots wiped with these antibacterial pads. But she's a trooper and takes it like a man, so to speak.

Anyway, this morning John was getting her pills together and Keller was sitting at the table eating his strawberries. Keller noticed John was getting Lola's medicine out, and he jumped off his chair in excitement:

Keller: "Dad!" Daddy!" (he hardly ever calls John anything other than Papa)
John: "Yeah, bud."
Keller: "Are you giving Lola her medicine?"
John: "Yeah, bud."
Me: Hee.

Keller then proceeds to get some treats for her and starts shoving them into her mouth. John could hardly get any of the pills in. He kept telling Keller that he needed to wait until after the medicine, but Keller was pretty determined to give her the treat. Lola, though slightly confused, was happy at all the treats. I had to go to work, so I don't know how it ended, but it was pretty funny.

Upon arriving at my office building, I walk into the lobby and one of the elevators automatically open. This happens a lot, and I don't know if it's a sensor, but it's a little freaky. So, I step in and wait. Then I realize I have to push a button to actually go to my floor. Funny how that works. Unfortunately, I forget to push the button fairly often and I just stand there wondering what the hell is wrong with the elevator.

It's Thursday! Thursday is kind of my favorite day of the work week. You get to look forward to Friday all day. My office mate is working from home today so I have the place to myself. I'm going to play my music and have a good day. Speaking of music, the other day the computer guy was working on my computer (no, it's not fixed, damn it!) and I had my iPod playing. The theme from Rocky came on and I was slightly embarrassed. I told him it was my running playlist going and he said he figured. But I know he was laughing at me.

Speaking of Rocky, if that movie (any of them up to #5 which I refused to watch, and I fell asleep during the latest one) ever comes on the TV, I have to stop what I'm doing and watch. I love Rocky. Seriously.

Cut me, Mick.

By the way, you can get me this shirt for my upcoming birthday. I wear a medium.

Love hurts

I hate Tuesdays.

I know the more common day of dread is Monday. But I have always hated Tuesdays. It's just a useless day. Here's my take on the days of the week:

• Monday: There's hope for the new week.
• Tuesday: Stupid, useless day.
• Wednesday: Yay! Week is half over.
• Thursday: Yay! Tomorrow is Friday!
• Friday: Yay! It's the weekend.

This Tuesday sucked huge, giant, ass. I got a call from Keller's teacher and his behavior has gotten out of control at school. He was throwing fits, hitting other kids, and then he bit one of the other kids. WTF? My child actually bit another child.

I remember when we were in NH with our friends Stephanie, Russ and Erika a few summers ago and Lola nipped Stephanie. It was the first (and only) time Lola had ever nipped anyone. And Steph was fine, it wasn't a bad bite or anything. But I was so horrified. I couldn't believe my puppy bit someone.

Well, that's kind of how I feel right now. My sweet, wonderful little boy has become a menace to the kids in his class. My first instinct is to take him out of school and keep him home with me. But I know that wouldn't do any good for him. He thrives at school.

I know this kind of behavior is relatively common for young kids. They have a hard time expressing themselves at this age. But his school would still like to have a conference with us, which is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Ugh.

Though, with all of this going on, I have just felt there has to be a reason for this behavior. He is not like this. On a hunch, I poked around his mouth and lo and behold! His second set of molars are coming in. That explains so much! He was such a terror when he was teething as an infant and young toddler. His first set of molars were simple and arrived unnoticed. But every other tooth in that kid's mouth brings back memories of fits and screams and tears. And that was just me.

So, we'll go to the conference tomorrow and hopefully they will have some ways to help us teach Keller how to better cope with his feelings. I love him so much, I just want him to be happy and healthy.

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This...

Ugh.

Yesterday was such a wasted day. I hate that. I feel like I got nothing accomplished.

I worked from home yesterday because we were supposed to have Verizon come out and hook us up to the FiOS TV. It's supposed to be great and awesome picture quality and cheaper than what we're paying now, etc. So, we were pretty excited about it.

They weren't supposed to come until between 1 and 5, so I was planning on doing my run in the morning. Well, I got all caught up with work stuff so I didn't even realize what time it was until around 11:30. There wouldn't have been enough time to run (I had an hour-long run to do) and shower before 1. Now, I know service people are rarely on time, but I knew that the one time I was in the shower or something, they would show up. So, I planned to do my run on the treadmill after Keller went to bed.

So, 1:00 rolls around. No Verizon. 2:00 rolls around. No Verizon. At 2:30, I picked up the phone to call John and heard that there was a message. We have voicemail and when we have a message the dial tone makes a funny sound. So I call to hear the message and it's from Verizon. They "were sorry they missed us on May 29th and we need to reschedule our hookup." What? May 29th? You're kidding me.

I call Verizon and there's a whole mix up and they're not coming and we need to reschedule. Well, I can't just reschedule without looking at my calendar to see when I can work from home, or speak with John and see when he could be home. Crap.

While I'm on the phone with Verizon, a huge ass thunderstorm comes through. All the deck furniture goes flying (thankfully, nothing broke) and Lola freaks the hell out. She peed all over the floor and pooped too. I had to clean all that up. Then the power went out. I couldn't do anymore work, even though I had battery power for the laptop, I didn't have internet. That was it. I just went to sleep. Though I had to put my ear plugs in and shut my door because Lola was crying. Now, I know I sound like a bad dog mom, but there is nothing you can do for that dog when she gets like that. Trying to calm her down is a waste of time. I put her downstairs so she could just wait it out. She was safe and me being around probably would have made her more nervous.

As I was sleeping, Peppertree (Keller's school) called. They lost power and I had to come get Keller. So I picked him up. He was in a good mood so we came home and played. Then he got a little crazy. He was jumping off the couch, running through the house like his pants were on fire, and just going nuts. I guess because he had been inside all day because of the storms. I thought it was going to be a great time trying to put him to bed. But he was actually fine. We read stories and played a little and then he went right to bed.

After Keller went to bed, I got ready for my run. As I was doing so, another storm came through. Lola freaked out and all that (thankfully, she didn't pee that time). I went downstairs to get on the treadmill. Well, I got about 10 minutes into the run when the power went out again. Great.

I went upstairs and read a magazine by the window so I could see. John came home and the power came back on. So I did my run and all was fine.

But I feel like the day was such a wash (no pun intended). It just was stinky. At least I didn't have to drive home from work, that would have been hideous. And I set up my new website for my coaching service. You must check it out because I love it!! Go to http://www.coachjenn.com/. And if you know anyone that is interested in starting out as a runner or an experienced runner wanting to improve, send them my way. I offer virtual coaching, as well as face-to-face, so they don't even have to live here to get the benefits of me!

Well, hopefully today is a better day!

Honk if you love three-day weekends...

Three-day weekends rock.

This past Memorial Day weekend was so nice! The only way it would have been better is if a briefcase with $1 million was left on our doorstep. Sadly, this did not happen and I think I just depressed myself. Oh well.

After work on Friday, once we were all home, we headed up to Costco in Frederick. We have been waiting to purchase a flat-screen TV for years. I wasn't working when they first came on the scene. They were just way too expensive and I couldn't see buying one at all. But this year marked John's 10th year with his organization and he received a nice bonus. Because this is a bonus, you're supposed to have fun with it. You know, he earned it. We went to Costco because they have excellent prices and they also extend the manufacturer's warranty for another year. Plus, the membership we have with Costco allows us to earn cash back on our annual purchases. Basically, Costco rocks. But I digress.

The TV is awesome! Seriously, I've never been a big electronics person and even I'm impressed. And Keller loves it! He was pretty mesmerized as he watched Sesame Street for the first time. I have a great photo of it and will post it when I get home tonight.

Saturday we went to breakfast with Mary and Noah, then played at the park for a while. Keller took a 4-hour nap, which was nice for everyone! We then went to the Washingtonian to walk around and enjoy the beautiful weather. Saturday night I went to dinner to say goodbye to my good friend, Stephanie. She is off to Connecticut to become the owner of the Fleet Feet Sports, Hartford store. I am very excited for her, but will miss her terribly. She left yesterday and I miss her already.

Sunday, we went to the park with Mary, Steve, and Noah in the morning. We went to Black Hills park and I think we'll have Keller's birthday party there this year. Anyway, we brought Lola with her (in her Memorial Day collar, of course). Somehow, she became a show pony and at one point, half the kids at the park were crowded around her to see her and pet her. Um, she's a dog. A Black Lab at that. It's not like she just landed from Mars and has green fur and is a sight to see. Don't get me wrong, Lola is pretty darn cute. Maybe it was her collar.

Sunday afternoon, we had friends over for a cookout. That was fun. I love the chaos of having people over. Kids running around, music playing, all of us together. You can't beat it.

Monday, we went to the pool in the morning. We got a pass for the pool in a nearby community because ours community doesn't have a pool. While the water was freezing, it was still nice. And somehow I managed to get sunburn on one of my shoulders (the left one). Guess I missed with the sunblock spray. Monday afternoon, we went over to Allison and Phil's for another cookout. It was great to have all of us together (the Silberman, Gies, and Gill families!). I'm looking forward to this summer.

So, this brings me to the question: why can't we have three-day weekends every week? Really, are we really that productive on Fridays? Or Mondays, for that matter? Especially in the summer. I guess if we always had three-day weekends, we'd then get greedy and want four. Both Friday and Monday off. Then nothing would ever get done and the country would collapse. But I don't think people would really want four days. I think three is the perfect amount. Saturday you usually spend running errands and other things, so it's not like you're really relaxing. Sunday you relax, maybe stay up late, have a few drinks. Then Monday you rest up for the work week. This could definitely work. I say we give it a try. Maybe if everyone calls in sick every Friday, the higher-ups will just have to give us the day off anyway. Let's give it a try this week and see what happens!

They say it's your birthday...

Yesterday was John's birthday. I won't say how old he is because he'll get mad at me, but let's just say he's older than me. :)

Anyway, I think John had a good day. We were up fairly early, as usual. I had a run to get in, so I was up. But Keller was up at about 6:00, which is par for the course. We started the morning off with the Birthday dance (we play Birthday by The Beatles and dance for everyone's birthday every year. Even for Lola and Percy's birthdays). That is always fun.

John and Keller then ran the Germantown 5-miler kids run, which was 1K. Keller ran almost the entire thing! But he ultimately hit the wall and needed a ride from Papa. But they finished the race and Keller earned a nice medal.

After the race, they played in the moonbounce together and that was really fun. We then had breakfast (yum! Chick-fil-a breakfast rocks). We danced to the Birthday song again and John then went on a nice bike ride for some quality John-time.

Once John got home, we were going to go to the Strawberry Festival in Potomac, but Keller had different plans. He slept until 3:15, which was about a 3.5 hour nap. The festival ended at 4:00, so we figured by the time we got down there, we wouldn't get to do very much. Oh well, there's always next year.

We went out to dinner with Lynne, Randy and Elena. This past Thursday was Lynne's birthday, so it was nice to celebrate two of my favorite people together. We went up to Frederick and had dinner at Isabella's. It's a Spanish tapas place that Lynne, Randy and Elena had been to a bunch of times, but we had never been. We love Spanish food, so we were up for it. It was so good! We ate so much and everything was so good. Keller enjoyed the paella the most. He ate tons of that. I can't wait to go back there.

Then we walked around downtown Frederick for a little while. There are some really cute shops and restaurants along Market Street. John got some rather unique Nikes at one shop. They are interesting, to say the least. He likes them and that's all that matters.

We then came home and everyone went to sleep. Overall, it was a nice day and I hope John had a great birthday. He deserves it! He is such a wonderful person, I hope he knows how much we all love him. We are very lucky to have him!

Happy Birthday, John. Je t'aime, mon petit chou!