Merry Christmas!

Thanks to Vince's sister, Shalon, for taking these pictures for us. We had a fun time doing our cold little photo shoot.

We got the best smile out of Evan when he found a warm pocket of air!

The ONLY one of Rachel smiling, which is funny because she's such a happy baby!

And of course, by the end, we were ready to strangle each other! But we had a great time.

We hope you all have a wonderful Holiday season! We love this time of year when we get to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday to ME (in 6 more months)

So I gave myself an early Birthday present. I signed up today for the Ogden Marathon. The best part is, it's their 10th annual Ogden Marathon on my Birthday! How fun will this be? 26.2 Here I come!

Strange Things Are Happening...

We've had quite a few exciting adventures around here lately! We had a lovely Halloween, complete with a fun party at the cousins' house, pumpkin carving, and a run through the cemetary at night for a Halloween 5k! It was very fun! I ran my fastest 5k since Rachel was born. (I've dubbed it my 5k PPPR, or Post-Partum Personal Record!) 30:13 is certainly not where I WANT to be, but getting there. Slowly! (Hardy-har-har!) Vince did great though. He came in at 22:20, and earned a 4th place (pink) ribbon!!

I'll have to get more costume pictures soon, but here's the one from the 5k at least!

Carving pumpkins:
I thought this was an interesting view of our activity!
Pumpkin Brains!
Evan was so grossed out when he first stuck his hand in!
Brooke took this picture; I love it!
Our pumpkin family! We all (well, except for Rachel) designed our own faces. I thought they all turned out so fun! And I love the creativity of my kids!

From Left to Right--Rachel, Evan, Brooke, Me, & Vince!

And just for fun, I wanted to show you the spooky thing my broom can do! I took pictures from different angles just so you can see--no strings attached, and I didn't alter the photo at all! (Now if I can just get it to sweep up Vince's hair...)

And lastly, Evan. Poor kid. We went up to Vince's sister's house in ID last weekend to see their brand new (and ADORABLE) little baby. The kids were outside playing. Just before lunch Evan started bawling. He came in saying he'd been running outside, tripped (on his growing feet, apparently), and fell on the grass and hit his shoulder. I looked at it--no scratches or scrapes. Just a bump and maybe a bruise--so I THOUGHT! He cried for a while and I told him to not think about it, it'd stop hurting soon, etc. Well, about halfway through lunch I looked over at his poor, sad face and the giant alligator tears welling up in his eyes, and I realized, he's really hurting! After church the next day, I took a closer look again, and saw that the swelling was getting worse, and he still couldn't even raise his arm up. That's when I realized this was serious! So we took him to the doctor on Monday, who sent us to the hospital for x-rays. Turns out he BROKE HIS COLLAR BONE!! I felt so bad! I hate those "bad mommy" moments! But he's well and dandy now with his sling. So Evan wins the prize for the first broken bone in the family! (And hopefully it'll be the last!)

Happy Baby

There are so many things to blog about! But because I'm short on time (since it's 9:45, and I'm just now posting this today) I will make this quick. But I did want to get this video on for Grammy tonight, as promised. So just a quick update on my pretty Baby!

We tried out some rice cereal the other day. She LOVED it! I'm not sure she's ready for it on a daily basis yet, but we'll keep trying every now and then to see if her body is ready.

Mmmm!
I'm also THRILLED to report that she's started sleeping through the night!! *happy dance* She goes to bed around 7:00 or so, and usually wakes up just once, around 5 or 6 am. But we've learned that Vince can get up, wrap her up, stick binky in, and she'll just go right back to sleep until 7 or 8! I'm so glad she's figured out that sleeping all night makes for a happier mama and baby! (And I have to say, I LOVE Vince for being willing to do the re-wrapping! What a good Daddy he is!)


Rachel's other new tricks: She can now roll over both ways. She loves to smack her rattles around. She loves to play with her toes. She still doesn't laugh very much, but she LOVES to GROWL! (It's very cute.) I think she should've been a bear for Halloween instead of a ladybug! She also just recently started fake "coughing" to get our attention. My favorite is her new way she expresses her love! She reaches for me when I walk by! And just the other day she very deliberately grabbed my face, leaned in, and planted a big, wet, juicy, slobbery, open-mouthed baby kiss all over my cheek! Who knew I'd melt so much while getting slobbered down my shirt??

Here is a little video of her performing some of her new tricks. It takes her almost a minute, but she does cough and growl a little! (Oh, and um. My apologies for MY fake coughing and growling! I had no idea it would be so loud--and scary!) Enjoy!

Proof That Women Are Born This Way...

A friend of mine shared this on Facebook. I watched it several times. You may have seen it, but it really makes me laugh every time! Rachel's not quite there yet. But I'm guessing it's only a matter of time...

Nothin' Like a Cooing Baby!

You'll have to indulge me a little. I know every parent thinks their child is the cutest and the sweetest. I wanted family and friends (especially those who live too far away) to get a little taste of what I get to see every single morning! So if you want to skip the 2 minute videos of me talking baby talk to Rachel, and her cooing back, I won't be offended. (But I do have to say, you'd be missing out; she is really cute!) ;0)

12 weeks. 13.1 miles.

I have a lot of blogging to catch up on. Vince and I concluded that we packed a month's worth of stuff in about 1 1/2 weeks! And we're still trying to catch up on everything! But now that the kids are in school ALL DAY I'm hoping I'll have a little more time I can sneak on and post about our exciting month.

But for now, I wanted to give you my race report. Mostly because I'm so excited that I accomplished something that for a while I was afraid might not happen!

I had really planned on running throughout my pregnancy. I ran a few times at the beginning, and immediately noticed how tired (and slow) I was! Then the morning sickness hit, and I couldn't do much of anything, let alone run 15 miles a week! So I gave it up for a while. When I hit my 2nd trimester I started feeling much better. But I also got my appetite back and gained a lot of weight in a short amount of time! I knew I needed to get back into a better exercise routine. From then till about 35 weeks I ran as much as I could, but was still really cautious. I only got up to about 2 miles at a time. There were just so many unpleasant factors that kept me from running the way I wanted to! And the last month, I just walked for exercise, and decided to pick up running again as quickly as I could post-partum.

So when May came around, I had the opportunity to sign up for the Hobble Creek Half Marathon. A bunch of my running friends were doing it. It wasn't until August. I was convinced my Baby would be born early like her siblings, and told myself that recovering from a baby really isn't that hard or take that long. I thought it over for about a week. At that point I was missing running so much, and I had such fond memories of running this race last year. What really convinced me was that I actually talked Vince into running it, and then I knew I couldn't let him do it on his own! So I signed up! (I had to sign up quickly because registrations are limited, and it usually fills up within about 24-48 hours!)

And then, of course Baby was stubborn and only came 5 days early. And the woman's mind has a way of forgetting the unpleasantries of post-partum recovery! It took me longer to get back to running then I thought. And we found out my little brother was getting married the week before the race in San Diego! And with reunions and vacations and midnight feedings, I started to worry about how in the world I was going to have time and energy to train for this thing! And what the heck was I thinking? (Vince said the same thing too, by the way: "What the heck were you thinking?")

But we'd paid the money, and I really wanted to get back into my old clothes. So I took it slow (very slow) and walked a lot of my long runs, but kept plugging away at the miles. I became familiar again with how my body works, and how wonderful it is to feel the sweat and the breeze on my flushed cheeks. I certainly wasn't as fully prepared as I could or should have been, but I at least knew I could finish the race.

My goal time was under 2 hours 45 minutes (which sounds so long!) and for sure under 3 hours. I was able to meet up with my running friends in the looonnnggg potty line before the start. It was so fun to chat with them and get excited to run the next 13.1 miles. I waved them all (and kissed my Hubby) good luck at the start and headed towards the back of the pack, knowing I'd be one of the last to cross the finish line.

The first half was wonderful! It's all down Hobble Creek Canyon, and the miles really flew by! I was feeling good and confident. My friend, Leslie, got a few pictures of me from her bike as I shuffled along. (She signed up for the race, but couldn't particpate because of a nasty foot injury from a triathlon a couple of months ago. It was so good to have her as a cheerleader, though!)

Around mile 9 or so, I was feeling sore, and then we started seeing the hills. I'd forgotten how hilly the last few miles were! This was the point that was the most difficult. I stopped a lot and walked many of the hills. But at the last water station at 11.5 miles, I decided I would run to the finish--no more walking. And I'm proud to say that I finished 5 minutes under my goal time at 2:40!! It was still 36 minutes slower than last year (yikes!) but I was so proud of myself for being able to go 13.1 miles just 12 weeks after having my Baby!

Vince did an amazing job, too! I only wish I could've been there when he crossed the finish line! But he was way too speedy--1:42 in fact! Wow, is all I can say! This was his first 1/2 Marathon; he ran a full before his mission. But certainly the most distance he's done in a very long time. I asked him on the way home if he'd want to do it again next year. But we concluded that asking him just after the race is like asking a woman just after giving birth if she's ready for the next baby! We'll give him a few more weeks to let him decide! ;0)

Here are some fun pictures taken with Heidi's amazing camera! (So amazing, in fact, that you'll have to excuse the sweaty, salty face of mine! Vince looks great, since he'd already had an hour to cool down waiting for me to finish!)
Aren't we a great-looking couple? :D

And my running pals! Vince, me, Heidi, Jamie, and Leslie

Our Trip

We always have so much fun every year at the Hogge Reunion. Great fun, great company, way too great food for my good! This year we decided to do something a little different. We usually go up to "The Lake" (won't give the name away--don't want anyone to know of our secret little spot) and camp there for several days. It's the prettiest lake I've ever seen. And not many people know about it, so it's usually not too crowded. But this year, we had two new little babies, and thought camping out wouldn't be quite as much fun for that reason. So through a family friend, we got access to a cabin on Bills Island! (I must admit, it was VERY nice to have a running toilet and shower! We're way too spoiled!) We played hard every day and even managed to get the kids to sleep at night! It's always fun to be with everyone.



After a few days, most everyone had to head home. But we had a few extra so we went back to Montana to spend with Vince's parents. I love their home, and their wonderful hospitality!



We took one day and visited the Lewis & Clark Caverns. It was a HUGE cave tour that was so amazing! I couldn't believe there was all that hidden inside a mountain. Our cave pictures aren't real great. And they do NOT do any justice to the beauty of the caves. But here they are anyway. (And sorry, I haven't had time to photo-shop out the red eyes! Spooky, huh?)

This was just outside the caves, looking over the Jefferson River.

We spent some time just relaxing at the in-laws. They have about 20 acres, and I love it there! We flew kites out in their field. (They always seem to have some wind!)

And we played croquet.

Evan is so funny. We played a game of croquet, and then went off to do something else. But Evan wanted to keep playing, so he started a game with himself. "It's me against me. I'm winning and I'm losing!"

Then we caught sight of this amazing cloud! It puffed up so huge!

After a few minutes, Vince's dad told us all to stop and listen for a minute. There was a strange sound that sounded like a waterfall coming closer. It only took us a few seconds to realize what the sound was. We had about a minute before it started to look like this:

I've actually never seen hail so big! The kids thought it was great! In fact, they decided to keep one. (Is it still in your freezer, MMM?)

One of my favorite parts of the week was, of course, the water skiing!
I was sad, though, that my body just isn't back to normal quite yet. I got tired so easily! "Next year," I kept telling myself. Next year I'll be in better shape and can hold on longer!

Rachel slept through her first boat ride. Looks comfy in there, huh?

This year was especially fun because the kids got to actually ski on their own, and LOVED it! It did take a few days to coax them out onto their own skis and back behind the boat. But once they were there, we literally couldn't get them off!!

Brooke told us that water-skiing is her new favorite sport! She even likes it better than soccer. She even likes it better than SWIMMING!

What a show-off!

But the videos are the most fun. Hope you enjoy!

Mice-ellaneous

I wish I had more time right now to post about the past few weeks, especially our fun trip to Island Park and Montana! We had a wonderful time at the Hogge Reunion this year. I'll get pictures and details up as soon as I can.

This week has been so crazy--trying to adjust to being home again. It was full of laundry and errands. And the kids had to see good ole Dr Moody to fix some cavities. And Evan lost his very first (and 2nd) teeth! (Pictures to come soon.)

Rachel went to the pediatrician for her 2 month check-up. She now weighs in at a whopping 11 lbs 4 oz! What a heifer! She really is darling. Fat looks so much better on babies than on adults! She's got the rolls under her chin and on her thighs. And she's got the dimples in her knees and hands. She lights up and coos and grins whenever we enter the room! She's just delightful.

But, sadly, the worst part of the week was coming home from our 10-day trip only to discover our home had been invaded while we were away, by a family of MICE! Ugh. I HATE mice! (And I've said that sentence at least 5 dozen times this past week.)

I stupidly left out some chocolate on the counter tops while we were gone. Somehow (I'm guessing they climbed up our broom) the mice had gotten up and eaten the chocolates. Fortunately that was the only thing we could see that they had eaten. But we found evidence (meaning poop) that they had been all over the house. We found evidence on our counter tops, next to the fridge, under the stove, behind the stove, under the burners on our stove, all over the cupboards under our sink and where I keep my pots and pans (this especially totally grossed me out!), in our laundry room, and even in the bathtub! YUCK! I am completely horrified, and am now paranoid. Every time I walk into a room, I'm always searching. Every time I hear a rustle I'm wondering. I hate not feeling safe in my own home. And especially, I worry about my baby. I can't put her down anywhere. I'm always worried about where I put ANYTHING down! (Can't put it on the floor, the mice might get it.)

The few good things are:
1. We never found evidence of the mice in any other food, even in the food storage room, which is a huge blessing. (Though, I did mourn the loss of our chocolate!)
2. We've already caught 4 of them--2 adults (I think) and 2 babies.
3. My house is now REALLY clean! (Though I do still feel like everything is dirty and contaminated. That's just my little OCD, I guess.)
4. We are so much better off than so many other people in the world.

That last part especially struck me last night. It's been such an awful week for me--harder emotionally than I've had in a long time. I broke down a few times, just feeling so overwhelmed by it all and not safe, somehow, in my own home. But during family prayers I thanked the Lord for this home we have to live in, and it struck me how much I really SHOULD be grateful for this wonderful home. There are so many people who deal with much worse than a family of mice. I just need to keep things in perspective.

(But if you don't mind, please say a little prayer that we'll catch all the little varmints!)

9 Years!

9 years ago today, I married the most wonderful man! And even though he may not be perfect, I know he's still the perfect man for me!

Here we are in 2000 in our engagement photo. (Boy, did we look young!!)


Brooke took this picture last summer at the same lake.

I love what a hard worker Vince is. I love that he does everything he can to allow me to stay home with our kids. I love the example he is to me. I love what a wonderful father he is to our children. My life is so richly blessed because he is there to help me and hold me.

I love you, Vince. Happy Anniversary!

The Crazy Month of June