Bits and Pieces

The previously unpublished month of April:

Issac is really starting to love school. 
I can't wait to see him in Kindergarten next year!

Kody has been putting a small chair in bed to sleep with after I leave the room.
What is up with that?  I have no idea.

Growing a crystal. 
Part of a gift from Christmas - A Science Kit.

Kody chilling at the gym watching TV.
Since birth this boy has had old man idiosyncrasies.

Mormon Helping Hands - Our Stake Service Project Day
Cleaning up Landis Valley Museum grounds.

A visit to the Toy Train Museum.

The awe and fascination of youth.

 

A trip to DC including the Smithsonian.



The Air and Space Museum - Planets Exhibit.

Nothing says Happy Easter like a good painting project.
Why higher a painter when you can build your own scaffolding?

 

A brief foray into the world of the stomach flu.
Doesn't he look so bitty and helpless in this picture :(

My morning moment - watching the sun come up over my house.
Oh all the possibilities!

My Big Foot

It happened like this: 

I had been with some friends and all of our kids were playing.  My daughter was one of the older ones and the other kids were a bit younger.  There was another girl and she just really stood out, sort of like Bella has, in that magnificent kind of way.  So I go to the mom to pay her a compliment.  Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Me:  Sally really reminds me so much of Bella when she was a young girl.
Other Mom:  Oh yeah.
Me:  Yeah she is just so good, tries so hard to do what is right, very helpful, etc...[a list of compliments about her daughter]
Other Mom:  Thank you.  Sally really is pretty remarkable.  Everyday I am amazed.
Me:  Yeah, hopefully someday she (Sally) grows up to be as good as Bella.

Crap - insert ginormous foot in mouth.  I was doing so good and then blammo, AWKWARD.

Okay so really the inverse of this happened: TO ME.  Some other woman actually said that to me.  She was paying me these compliments about how great Bella was and then said, "Hopefully someday she grows up to be as good as my daughter."  Yeah it really was awkward.  I tried really hard not to laugh because I really don't think this mother realized what she had said.  But I could totally see myself saying something I assumed was innocuous, but really wasn't. 

Was I offended? 
No way. 
Will I probably tell this story another half a dozen times in my life? 
You bet because I still smile when I think about how awkward it was. 

Here's to all the times we all stick our big feet in our tiny mouths.  Okay my mouth is pretty big I must admit, not Julia Roberts big but for many years I could stick my fist in it.  But upon trying just now I can no longer so maybe I am growing into my mouth.  Hey I said maybe!

Warm...What To Do?

spend lots of time at the park

 

 ride your bikes

run around half naked all day

 play in the sprinklers

 and with water guns.

What have you been up to?

Neighborhood Egg Hunt

it was really sunny out hence the pirate eye

 tons of happy children - thanks dawn, jen, and susanne

 after hunting, eating, now it's time to play slide down the cellar door

Decorating Eggs

this requires some serious concentration.

 bella's egg was voted most creative and favorite egg. 

it's a bunny hopping through the grass with flowers and a blue sky. 

hoppy easter!

Egg-ercising

at the gym last week we did an egg hunt.  instead of the eggs being filled with candy, they were filled with papers with assorted tasks: 100 pushups, 50 lunges, 40 shoulder presses, etc...

 i liked the idea and brought it home and our kids did an egg hunt.  wyatt pumps out 20 situps.

 our family holds a plank for 30 seconds.

 bella had fabulous lunge form.

 we laughed all through and when asked at the end what they thought:  issac answered with this.

and the last egg they found was one to decorate and eat a egg shapped sugar cookie.  Balance!

Easter Festivities

He Came:

One Happy Groupie

Last Saturday was my Mom's birthday.  She came over for dinner and cake.  The kids wanted her to open her presents right away, but she wanted to wait until cake time.

 Then out came the presents.  She was thrilled before even knowing what it was. 

But I knew this one would blow her mind.

 My mom is perhaps the biggest Celtic Thunder Groupie.  All of my siblings and I went in to purchase her some tickets to their next concert tour.  Her trying to decipher what she got.

Realization has kicked in.  She is one happy groupie. 

She spent the rest of the night telling me about each member, the retirement of one member, the addition of another, their birth dates, birthplaces, and watching You Tube Video Clips.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Goal Not Needed

I call myself the Volunteer Whore.  Well I came up with the title for myself with the help of a friend and current live-in honorary family member late last night as I made sugar cookies to be used in today's school party.  As she's lived with me she mentioned that this was what she saw... 

• Monday I made dinner for a neighbor's family while she was in the hospital having surgery. 
• Tuesday I purchased, prepared, and delivered Easter dinner to 25 needing families in the Manheim area.  I chaired this event on behalf of Women's Club of Manheim. 
• Wednesday I helped lead a somewhat last minute choir rehearsal for women as part of my church service, I watched the neighbor's kids afters school, and played taxi driver later in the evening.  I planned, baked, bought, and orchestrated a class party for 23 little 1st graders for Spring/Earth Day as Wyatt's room mom. 
• Today I will spend the better part of the day running the party I planned and watching more kids. 

I realized I have service opportunities planned for pretty much everyday for the next two years as recently I became President Elect for both our elementary school's PTO and Women's Club of Manheim as well as serving in several voluntary capacities within my church.

Travis was the inspiration for me.  When we were dating I was often pleasantly surprised and occasionally annoyed when he would stop for every broken down car we passed, volunteer to help anyone with anything, and often sacrifice his personal interests in the pursuit of other's.  It was those acts of kindness though that made me realize this was the man I would convince to marry me.  His kindness and ability to help others superseded my highest expectations and in the following years I have tried to follow his example. 

This year one of my New Year's Resolutions was to serve 260 days this year.  That is everyday M-F all year long or five days a week.  But as I have easily plowed through this goal I realized that service has become a part of my life already.  I find real happiness when doing it and that is motivation you can't fake.  And for bonus snaps I can't help but think of this scripture:   Mosiah 2:17  "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

So you may see me running around like a crazy person, a bit frazzled around the edges, treading on the very slippery slope of insanity, but know this I am one happy girl.

What They Say

On the car ride home from Pre-K:
Issac:  Brianna is in love with me and I am in love with Brianna.
Me:  No you're not.  Where do you learn crap like that?
Issac:  Brianna told me, "I am in love with her and she is in love with me."
Nice work Brianna you have officially messed with my son's mind.

My kids are very sensitive and cry a lot when they are tired.
A very tired Wyatt:  Mom would you be sad if I died.
Me: Yes
Wyatt:  I don't think you would.  (Burst into more crying and running up to his room)

And in other news: now that the weather is warm we are spending lots of days at the park and mastering tons of new skills.  Issac attributes his rockin' skills to eating carrots, his new favorite food for strength training.

mastering the monkey bars

flipping over with a perfect dismount

Some More

Lately I have been running, running and running some more.  In January, Manheim got a gym this after a three year stint with nothing.  Having been a gym goer almost all my life, these 3 years were rough.  The first day they accepted memberships, I marched myself right in there and signed my year contract.  It's been happily ever after since.  Well sort of.

I don't mind working out, in fact, I love it.  But I have never been the world's best, fastest, or willing runner.  But I had a goal here.  I wanted to lose 20 lbs this year.  And anyone knows that when push comes to shove it is all about running to slim down.  Well at least that is what I have been told.

So now I run.  I run when I feel good, when I don't want to, and before and after I have worked out in other the ways that I like to.  I run everyday Monday thru Friday.  So now three and a half months in how much weight have I lost.  Well 1 lb.  Yeah it's frustrating and it sucks.  But I have lost inches so I haven't despaired entirely only partially.

But you know what I discovered?  No it is not that I love to run. I still sort of hate it.  But that I am learning to enjoy certain aspects of running.  I am learning to enjoy the mind numbing time spent on the treadmill.  Because truly some days I think of nothing for that hour except for stepping one foot in front of the other.  I am learning to enjoy competing against myself to run further than I have the day, week, and month before.  Tuesday that was 8.25 miles in 84 minutes and 50 some seconds.   Yesterday, when I had less time to run I ran for speed, 1.25 miles in 10 minutes even.  That's an 8 minute flat mile folks.  So to realize I am achieving goals I haven't met since high school is awesome.  And that in and of itself sort of makes me happy about the running, even if I am not happy about the actual running.

Tourette's

Yeah I'm pretty sure Kody has this.  Because randomly he will shout out words such as poop head, boob, or butt and burst into a fit of giggles.  Today as I was dropping him off at the gym daycare and right as I was heading out the door out of the clear blue he shouts, "No, I love you!"  An female employee laughs and says "Don't you just love when they shout I love you at you."  To this I have to say yes, because it beats half the other stuff he is shouting.  Tourette's or a boy thing?  You tell me.

Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body

I don't believe in weakness.  Okay maybe I do a little but I fight it anytime I see it rear its ugly face at me.  So today when we were at the park and Kody told me he had to go poo, I wanted to die.  I said that we could use the Portopotty and he promptly declined and decided to hold it.  After a couple of minutes he decided he would after all use that Portopotty.  As we walked towards it, I chanted -in my head of course- "Okay Mary you can do this.  Don't show Kody it's a big deal and he won't think it's a big deal.  Don't pass your squeamishness down to your kids.  Your tough, okay let's do this."

We get the whole way to the door I open and am relieved to find there is no stench and look down to make sure Kody makes the step up into it and that is when I notice not one but three sets of feces on the floor.  "Oh no way Kody.  You are not going in there.  Forget that."  Who does that?  Seriously gross.  And who should be cleaning that up.  Let's get on that!  And this folks is why I will not use public restrooms.  I just can't!  Call me weak.

Kaji Machi Lounge

Yeah that is the name of the karaoke joint I just finished at.  It's in Harrisburg and it's the basement of a Benihana, yeah the Asian chain restaurant.  It was a great time. 

 Heather was our fearless leader and even engaged this random older fella in a little dance during his song.  But her performance of "Glamorous" by Fergie was to die for including language edits.

 Eight of us sang our hearts out including these two! 

There were some brilliant moments.

Nothing was funnier than our mix master and DJ extraordinaire. 

Yeah she looked like this all night as she spun the records.

My personal highlight was going to the bar for a water and some random dude saying to his buddy,

"See I told she isn't 21 yet."  Sweetness! 

Noteworthy

• Isn't it amazing how Kesha can somehow incorporate the word glitter into every song?  But still I love her music.
• Travis the other day surprised me at the gym.  He stopped at the front desk and [Matt] only half paying attention was like you can go back and look for her.  Travis came back to the front and was like she is not back there.  The guy was like who are you looking for now fully paying attention.  When Travis ellaborated that it was me(Mary) the guy panicked. (this is his version of events as told to me)  Oh man I like you.  I had to cover for you so your husband didn't think you were cheating on him. But I couldn't come up with any credible story.  But then [Hannah] was like she is back in the Spin room. *Names have been changed to protect the individuals involved in the story  Thanks your a good friend, I guess.  Let's just say I cleared it all up for Matt though.  I'm not cheating, no need to cover.
• When we first moved here people would always talk about my "stair step" children.  I had never heard the phrase but once it was explained I understood the expression.  This picture from the other day perfectly illustrates their point I guess. 

• For Lent, I gave up eating after 7pm.  And now I dream about food.  A LOT!

My Life Today

Busy!

finished painting the hallway.
now i just need to take all the tape down.



80's flashback day at the gym.  (more pics)
although these are some of my gym besties i have to wonder how i got stuck next to two size 2 girls. 
oh well it's a good reminder why i go to the gym.

for teacher appreciation week i made issac's teacher and teacher's aide dinner.
holy my kitchen is a wreck.
no worries it's already all cleaned up.