Grandma Merg's Visit

Grandma Merg came to visit this past weekend and we all had a blast. Here are a few pictures from the visit.

The below picture, as you can see, is one naked Eddie. Dan had mentioned that it was time for a bath so Eddie stripped down right then and there in the kitchen. He figured out long ago how to get his diaper off so he was nude in record time. Then he decided to go stand on the porch and wave at the passing cyclists. Talk about indecent exposure!

Here is Eddie jumping away on the trampoline. 

We learned that footy pajamas make for a nasty shock when you try to get off. 

And here's Mr Tommy letting Grandma steal a few kisses.

Thankgiving Point Half Marathon

I completed my first half marathon! I did the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon in Lehi, Utah. It was a great course that ran through the tulip fields, golf course, and around the residential area. It had a lot more hills than I was prepared for, but I survived it.

I had told myself that anything under 3 hours was great. I would have been excited to get 2:30 and ecstatic to get 2:10. So when I lined up for the race I placed myself with the pacer for a time of 2:10, thinking that even if I fell behind I would still be just fine.

Before the race started we had a minute of silence for those who were effected by the Boston Marathon. Even the shirts they gave out had a Boston Strong ribbon on the sleeve. It was neat to be apart of remembering those in Boston.

Then the gun went of and the race began. It was chilly, but not too bad. We really did get lucky with how nice the weather was. I had worn a long sleeve shirt and shorts and was wishing for a tank top later in.

The first 4 miles flew by. I had my running mix going and I was in the zone. I had no problem keeping up with the pace. At about mile 6, I got ahead of the pacer. I figured there was nothing wrong with getting a little ahead so hopefully by the end we would be back together. No such luck.

I officially lost the pacer between miles 7 and 8. One of my goals had been to run the whole thing. There had been hills off and on the whole run, but around this time they got so steep and long that I might as well have been walking with how slow I was "running". It was at this point I passed a lot of people who had stopped to walk. But not the pacer. She ran the whole thing while carrying on conversations and cheering all of the runners on.

By mile 8 she was nowhere to be seen. Even in sections where the trail looped back I couldn't see her. But by this point, I really wanted that time of 2:10. So I pushed myself a little harder. By mile 10 I could catch a glimpse of my alluding pacer. I had long given up on slowing for the water stations, but ended up needing to get a gulp of water and a piece of banana. But I ran though the stations as quick as I could while not choking on the food and water. I know this was my only chance of catching her.

Then at 11.5 miles, I caught her at the top of a hill. As I got next to her I told her that I had been trying to catch up for nearly 4 miles now and was not going to let her pass me again. She assured me that she would push me from behind if she had to.

I wanted to die. I was running on sheer determination and maybe some stubbornness. I wanted 2:10 so bad. The emotions were kicking in and all I could think was that I needed to collapse into Dan's arms at the finish line and maybe cry for a minute.

My IPOD was counting down the miles. I was just over a mile out. 400 meters, 300 meters, 200 meters, 100 meters. "Congratulations! You have reached your goal." Well, that's what the IPOD said. But really the finish line was nowhere in sight. You have got to be kidding me. Now I really wanted to die.

The closer I got to the finish the more people there were cheering us on. I was so thankful to those strangers for cheering for me. I kept looking for Dan, my mom and the boys, but hadn't seen them yet.

Finally, I rounded the last corner and there was the finish line. I mustered up what little strength I had left and ran as fast as I could, though I'm sure it wasn't much. I passed under the clock and stopped. What was my time you ask? 2 hours, 9 minutes and 45 seconds. I did it.

The only downer is that no one was there. Running is a very personal thing. And only those who have done it can understand what it is like to work so hard to achieve these crazy distances. And even though I do it all for me, the support and encouragement of my family means so much.

They had had a horrible morning with the boys, and things just didn't line up for them to make it there in time. Otherwise I know they would have been there at the finish line with big smiles on their faces. If I would have run slower they would have made it! That's what I get for being such an over-achiever:) Not to complain, because I understand how crazy and unexpected life can be, but maybe one day I'll run a race and have someone other than a stranger cheering me on.

My time was 2:09:45.
I placed 34 of 84 in my age group
I placed 177 of 530 of female runners
and I placed 363 of 835 overall.

Some Things Never Change

Eddie at 5 months old in the walker...

Eddie at 22 months old in the walker...

Not much has changed!

Eddie's New Favorite Thing

Eddie's new favorite thing is to play in the kitchen sink in the water.I turn it on so it is barely coming out and he will stand there for hours if I let him. Mostly he just fills up whatever happens to be in the drain board, sets it on the side of the sink and then dumps it out after awhile. He is really good about not spilling. But sometimes, he will fill up a bottle and bring it to Tommy. It is the cutest thing ever!

The First "I Love You"

Eddie said his first I Love You the other day. And who was it to you might ask? His Aunt Whitney. Just a few days before Dan had been trying to get him to say it, and mentioned that he's probably end up saying it to Whitney. And that's exactly what he did.

Eddie was hugging and kissing Whitney goodbye and she said "Love You." To which Eddie responded with "Love You". It was so cute! He really does love his Aunt Nitny as you can see from the pictures below. He snuggled right up with her the other day on the swing. He gets so excited when she comes to visit.

Tommy is 7 Months Old

My baby boy is 7 months old today,sigh. Where does the time go. He is getting so big. He officially has 4 teeth and is so close to crawling. For now he wiggles and rolls his way to anywhere he wants to go. He will sit up on his own rather well. Occasionally there is a face-plant when he tries to reach for something or decides he needs to roll away.

And he loves watching his big brother. You can just see it in his eyes that he wants to be running around with Eddie. If I am holding him when Eddie is doing something fun he will start jumping in my arms with a huge smile and giggle. You can tell he's just dying to be mobile so he can chase Eddie.

He is such a sweet, mellow baby. He smiles at everyone we meet. He loves to be held, but is so patient to wait for me if there is something else I need to attend to. The few times he has been cranky it is only due to his upper teeth coming through. That was a rough few days for the little guy.

Even when Eddie gets a little too rough with him it's rare he will let out a cry. That has actually been the hard thing because Eddie will sit on Tommy and push on his belly trying to tickle him, which I don't want Eddie to be doing because he gets too rough, but Tommy will just laugh and laugh. So I know poor Eddie gets so confused when I am yelling at him but Tommy is laughing.

Tommy takes 3 naps a day. 2 short ones and 1 long one. At night he sleeps for 11-12 hours with 1-2 feedings somewhere in there.

I switched him to a bottle about a month ago and that was tough. Unfortunately, neither one of my kids have taken a bottle. This makes it very hard to work, or do anything that might take be away from him for more than 2.5 hours. It took a full 24 hours of not nursing him before he finally took a bottle from Dan. After 3 days he would take a bottle from me but fought it the whole time. After a week the bottle became normal.

I feel guilty about not nursing him when I have the ability to do so. I wish he would have taken a bottle so I could have done both. I continued to pump for as long as I could, but my milk dried up pretty fast. He is now on straight formula, but I have to give him dairy free. I tried a normal formula and he had an allergic reaction to the dairy. Of course this makes since with the fact that I had to give up dairy while nursing him to help with his acid reflux. I just never thought it through.

I can't believe that his first birthday is right around the corner. Last week I was packing up another bin of clothes that he has grown out of thinking that I couldn't stand the thought of never using these clothes again. I think it's safe to say there is at least one more member needed to complete our family.

I feel like the last 7 months have gone by too fast. I try to take lots of pictures and videos so I can capture these precious moments but they just don't do it justice. I find myself watching my kids thinking "I need to remember this".

I try so hard to be in the moment and enjoy every stage they go through. And I think I do a pretty good job. But even now I look back and think, where did the time go? What am I going to do when they are headed off to kindergarten, or leaving for a mission, or getting married...? I miss my babies already and I still have every moment to spend with them. Heck, I'm missing them now and they've only been down for a nap for an hour.

Oh I'm such a sap. That's what motherhood will do to you!

Oh Sh#t

So Whitney and I were talking today over lunch, laughing as Eddie grabbed her keys and started opening the trunk on her car from the fob. Whitney commented that he was a smart little sh#t, to which Eddie looks up and says "Sh#t!". So of course I start laughing hysterically which prompts him to say it again. Not a good move on my part. I guess we're officially at the point when we have to start watching our language!

Day 2 at The Little Gym

Summer is in the air

The weather has been so nice lately. All the boys want to do is play outside. Luckily we have this wonderful backyard to enjoy.

#7 Life's Lessons Learned While Running

I have learned a very valuable technique to use when running. I call it the "check in". If at any point during my run I start to feel exhausted, or have pain, or want to stop, I do a check in.

So what is a check in you might ask? I start with my breathing. I take a few deep breathes and make sure that my breath isn't too shallow or fast. Then I check my posture. Are my shoulders back? Head up? Arms swinging evenly at my sides? How is my cadence and stride? And lastly, if I feel pain, where is it coming from and can I fix it?

I have learned that more often than not, when I start to feel like I can't run any further, it isn't because my body is too tired. It's because my mind says I am. Just by doing this quick little check, I realize that my body feels fine. I can breath, my legs feel strong, and I tell myself I can keep going.

I think that a "check in" is a great thing to implement in everyday life as well. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with life that I think I can't do it all. At these times we need to have a little check in. Am I saying daily prayers? Am I reading my scriptures? Am I attending my church meetings? Am I spending quality time with my family? Am I exercising? (You can fill these questions in with things important to you).

And once we've had this check in, make the little changes so you can answer yes the next time. If you find yourself lacking in a few areas, make it a point to concentrate on those things over the next few days. Just by this little step, you can simplify the demands of life and realize things might not be quite as bad as they feel. You can do it, just one step at a time.

Eddie 22 Months, Tommy 7 Months Pictures

Cole and Shannon came down to visit this past weekend and we had so much fun. I think the boys about ran them ragged. We hope they come back soon! But here are some great pictures Shannon got of my 2 handsome boys...

The Little Gym

Eddie's friend Mackennon goes to a place called The Little Gym. They had a "bring a friend for free" day today so we decided to go check it out.

Eddie was quite timid in the beginning. He sat on my lap and wouldn't participate. But by about half way through he turned into his normal dare devil self. By the end he had climbed to the top of the highest piece of equipment and stood on top, with no hands, grinning from ear to ear. The other parent's started to panic but unfortunately I know my kid has great balance!

Eddie practicing his kicks.

Bubble time!!!

Evan Tommy had fun rolling around and hanging out.

Eddie is in the middle climbing over one of the rails.

The picture doesn't show it well, but this is the highest tower. You are meant to climb through the middle section that is lower, but Eddie just used that as a step to get to the top.

"I can't wait till I get to play too!!!"

Grandpa Merg's Visit

Grandpa Merg came down to visit this past weekend.Eddie had so much fun playing with his buddy. I have even taught him to say Grandpa. It comes out more like mmmm-pa! But that's close enough!

Grandma and Grandpa sent down a basketball hoop and picnic table for Easter. As you can see from the picture Eddie preferred to ride the table than sit at it.

So it was Tommy's first Easter! We really didn't do much on Sunday but hang out at the house. On Saturday we went over to Dan's Aunt Julie's for an Easter egg hunt. It was a lot of fun.