HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Happy (one day late) Birthday Dad! You are such an amazing person, I have always looked up to you and held you in the highest esteem. I have always felt so grateful and blessed to have have a Dad who has such a strong testimony, who loves my Mom and treats her right, who loves all of his children and sacrifices everything for us and always puts family as #1!! I always knew you loved me and wanted me to do my best and I have always shrived do good and not let you down.

I hope your Birthday was perfect and I wish I could have been there to share it with you!
I love you Dad!

A few catch up pictures

I decided it might be nice to everyone if I did another post so that the first thing you look at when you arrive at this page are not my nasty toes. Instead you can look at my beautiful girls.

This is Alex's favorite thing to do right now. She got this chair for her birthday from Grandma Kay and she loves it. She sits in the chair and watches Baby Einstein as long as I will let her. The second she sees me putting a dvd in she gets really excited and crawls to her chair and eagerly awaits for it to start. Her favorite video is the one about animals and it is so fun to hear her try the animal sounds and see her so animated.

Some Easter Pictures
I never posted any pictures from Easter, I have some from and easter egg hunt but my friend took all the pictures and I haven't gotten copies yet. So the only pictures I have are from Easter Morning when they got their Easter baskets.

That morning Ayden had to put on her princess dress that my friend, Kim, made her when she was invited to another friends princess birthday party. She thought it was pretty cool that Kim made it for her.

Notice River keeping a close eye on the candy hoping that something falls within his reach? With the chocolate tooth my girls inherited it is a fat chance River.

Not for the Squimish!!!!

If you have a week tummy don't look at the pictures below. Just thought I would share my part of the race and the only think that is sticking out to me today is the fact that my toes are still KILLING me!!! I can't walk and there is so much pressure building up that it feels like two of my toes are going to explode any second. Anyway, have fun looking...

This is number 4 distal phalanx on left foot.

This is #4 distal phalanx on right foot.
(Dede, you will have to ask James if I said that right)

Jenni Runs to ROBIE CREEK!!

Ayden, Alex and Brad live amongst one tough woman. We had the privilege of cheering Jenni on as she ran in the toughest half marathon in the entire Northwest. Starting in Boise Jenni ran 9 miles straight up Rocky Canyon to the Adalpe summit then descended down into Robie Creek finishing after 13.1 body aching, foot pounding, toenail ripping, shin splinting, grooling miles in about 2 hours and 4 minutes. I can't tell you how proud I am of my wife in accomplishing what she did today.

(Below) Ayden and Alex hanging out in Boise where we watched 2500 crazy runners rampaging through the streets. We did see a blur of Jenni (see above) but fortunately got lucky enough to snap a shot of her saying hi to her two beautiful daughters. Notice that she is smiling and in a good mood. Boy is she moody. At high noon she was smiling and only 2 hours later she was no longer smiling and thinking she could actually die.

In order to get to the finish line the girls and I had to drive up into the mountains and catch a shuttle bus into Robie Creek. Ayden was very excited that the shuttle bus was a big yellow school bus. She said, "Alright!! My favorite color." By the time we got to Robie Creek the first runner had already crossed the finish line (1:14). WOW!

Moments after Jenni crossed the finish line they tried handing Jenni a button or lapel (not sure exactly what it was) but Jenni extended her arm and decided that it wasn't worth the effort to extend it a little farther and grab whatever it was that they were handing her. In the picture below you can see her extending her arm out but somehow the hand off wasn't made.

Kim Matthews (neighbor and one of Jenni's closest friends) and Jenni pose for a picture with that grateful look that comes when you are finished with the race. Kim and Jenni have been training hard for this race along with their friend and neighbor Annie who was unable to run due to a recent surgery (Annie would have still ran the race if the doctor hadn't told her no).

If you look at the photo below closely you'll see Jenni's battle wound. Blood is seeping through the shoe. After she made the summit she ran hard down the first portion of the steep decline and in doing so received a couple of pretty painful blisters and started the process of loosing some toe nails. At that point she had 3 more miles to go. Ouch.

Jenni and Alex in socks (no, Jenni's didn't come with a red decoration on the edges). Alex was so excited to see her mom that she wouldn't have anything to do with me for quiet some time after the race. Jenni was so exhausted that it was difficult to hold her but Alex wouldn't have it any other way.


Jenni posing for one more picture in her new t-shirt. Either she will wear this shirt with a sense of accomplishment or she'll have nightmares every time she puts it on. "I Run the Body Electric" was the race theme this year. Don't ask.



You can watch Jenni's finish here,
you can first see her at about 00:36 and she crosses the finish line at 00:39 in this clip. They did not announce her name because a big group came in at the same time.

You Can't Make Rice Krispy Treats w/out the Rice!

I went to the store this morning and I saw that the Rice Krispies were on sale so I thought it would be fun to make rice crispy treat with Ayden today. But instead she had her own plans with the Rice Krispies. I heard the girls doing something in the kitchen but they were both happy and since that is not very normal lately due to Ayden's teasing Alex tendencies I thought I would give them some time to play together happily for once. Little did I know they were bathing in Rice Krispies all over the floor. Ayden got her stool, pulled the box off the counter and poured the whole box on the floor and they were eating and playing in them. AHHH! I hate waisting money. At least they were on sale. I got pretty mad, probably more then I should have and put Ayden in time out. Their special sister time was ruined and my rice crispy treat making time was ruined too. Ayden couldn't understand why we couldn't still use the Rice Krispies. I told her it was because they were dirty and we don't eat things off the floor it still didn't make sense to her since for the last 10 minutes she was eating them off the floor.



I don't know what good the bowls were doing when the floor was holding all of them just fine.

Alex was having fun. Part of me feels bad and I feel like maybe I should have just let them keep playing in it since the Rice Krispies were already ruined and they were having fun. Oh well.

Great Uncles are Great

Uncle Chris, Ayden, Uncle Keith and Alex

In February my Uncle Keith flew out from California to spend time with my Uncle Chris and his family here in Boise. They invited us out to the house for a rib BBQ and Nascar. My Uncle Keith just mailed me this picture from the BBQ and I think it is hilarious. Ayden's face is so funny. There is no guessing what is going on in her mind. I also think this is a really neat picture for our posterity since it isn't very often the girls get together with both of my mom's brothers.

Thanks for mailing the picture Uncle Keith and I hope we get together again soon!

I got Tagged!

I was tagged by Dede to list five things about me that people may not know. I was (still am) having a hard time coming up with things so I was not going to do it but I will feel like a party pooper if I don't. So, here it goes...

1. I love love love, Q-tips. I HAVE to clean my ears out everyday despite knowing that doctor's and the Q-tip box tell you not to. Maybe someday it will imped my hearing but I really don't believe it will and I am not about to stop.

2. I have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) with numbers and especially the number 10. The number 10 makes me calm and things around me somehow have to add up to 10 or a multiple of 10. I mostly get obsessive about it when I am bored or I have time to think about it. For example, If I am counting things like tiles on a wall I will put them in groups of 10 and then if I have left over tiles that won't fit into another group of ten I have to find a way to make them into 10 of something or I will rearrange things until it works and I am satisfied. I have also figured out how to count the features on someones face so that there are 10 features. Just recently I learned (maybe I already knew subconsciously) that J (for Jenni) is the 10th letter in the alphabet. Maybe that is where this all stemmed from, I don't know. You may be reading this thinking I am crazy but I am sure you have some weird quirk too. When ever I share this with people they seem to open up to me with their weird things. Like when my brother in law (I'm sure he would not mind if I said which one but I won't in case he would) is going up steps he has to end the last step on a certain foot so he will switch feet going up so it ends on the right foot. On certain flights of stairs that he goes up regularly he knows which foot he need to start on so it ends right. Things like this are really common. Just think about it and share one of your quarks with me!

3. In high school I was a runner and gave up on it some time in college. Since then I would start running again and then decide that I really hated it and I would give up. But just recently I was really fed up with feeling out of shape so some friends got me into running with them and now I LOVE it again!!!!! Hooray!! It feels so good to like it again. I really never thought I would. In fact I think I like it better now then I even did in High School. I am running 30 plus miles a week and I am really enjoying it. I am training for the toughest half marathon in the NW on April 21. I already ran the course at the goal I set for myself on race day so I am doing better then I ever thought.

(this is not me)

4. Most people who know me probably already know everything I have already shared because of the fourth thing I am going to share which of course most of you probably already know. Funny how that works. I am very blunt, I am not secretive or private, I don't keep things inside of me, I say things like they are and you always know where you stand with me. I have always been this way. I would like to think that I have learned to edit a little bit and that I have learned to be more tactful but that might not even be true.

5. Sugar makes me sick. When I pay attention to my diet and cut out sugar (and other simple carbs such as white flour, and white rice) I feel like a new person. Less lethargic, more clear headed and in general happier. I have learned that dark chocolate does not effect me so that is my treat of choice (I do sill have to limit my intake of course). I LOVE Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered raisins. When we were in California we stalked up so I am feeling very happy lately.

(in actuality there isn't anything at Trader Joe's that isn't great! OH, what I would do to get one in Boise!?!?!?)


Ok, now I get to tag some people to do five things about them. I am tagging Johanna (sorry her blog is private), Laura, Nikki, Angela, and Yuki (if you don't mind doing it in English). I hope you all participate because I can't wait to read them.


Also I just wanted to share some good news in the family!!!

1st- Ayden is potty trained!!!!! It was a really easy process since she is older and she knew what she was doing since I started and stopped so many times. I think between the two of us we both knew this was the last time we were doing it so she just took to it really easy. She has been trained for about three weeks and it only took two days before she was pretty much 100% during the day, during naps and through the night. It is so nice to have it done.

2nd- My little sister Hillary just got accepted to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York, NY!! She is moving to the Big Apple this fall after working in Seattle all summer. Way to go Hillary, I am so excited for you.

A Spontaneous Trip

Last Monday after realizing we had a boring week ahead of us due to the fact that most of our friends and Brad's coworkers were out of town because of spring break we decided to take advantage of the slow time and get the heck out of dodge. After a quick phone call to my Aunt Kim in Concord, California to see if we could crash at their place for a few days we took off on a 10 1/2 hour drive to sunny California. I was very proud of my spontaneity since that is not the easiest thing to do with a 1 and 2 year old and it could have ended up a disaster. Fortunately it turned out to be a great decision because it was a wonderful trip. We left Tuesday afternoon and after 7 hours arrived in Reno, NV that evening and stayed at the Atlantis hotel and casino. I felt a little odd staying at a smoky casino with two little kids but we got a great deal on our room and ultimately an even better deal after being comped to an upgraded room after our first nonsmoking room smelled like smoke. Ayden loved the hotel because of the glass elevator, bright colors and new sounds it had to offer. Unfortunately that night Alex came down with a high fever and runny nose and did not sleep well. It got worse the next day and we eventually took her to an urgent care in California and between a cold, ear infections and teething she was not a happy camper. Once we got her on some antibiotics and pain medication she started feeling a lot better. We did not get to do as much as we wanted because of this but we got a lot done in the short time we were there. We spent time in downtown Walnut Creek shopping, we went to a park , stocked up on Trader Joe's food, ate out at spaghetti factory and PF Chang's, went to San Francisco pier 39, The Aquarium at the Pier, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Jelly Belly Factory and Brad and I even got to go on a date just the two of us.
Ayden had a blast with my Aunt Kim and Uncle Carl and cousin Zach. She got a ton of attention and really enjoyed being at their home. Alex took a special liking to my Uncle Carl and she even fell asleep in his arms. We loved spending time with them all we were so glad we decided to take this trip.

Finally there!!! We have just arrived at my Aunt and Uncles house.

Since Alex was not feeling well we took it easy on Thursday and went to the park. This is my Aunt Kim pushing Ayden.
The first smile out of Alex in a few days. Even though she was feeling cruddy she loved the swing.
My Aunt Kim helping Ayden climb a rock with Brad and Alex in the background.
Friday we went to San Francisco. This is a picture with some pirate statues since Ayden loves Pirates!
Ayden is trying on a hat at an ALL pirate store in San Fransisco.
Alex looking at a Star Fish (sea star is it's real name) at the Aquarium at the Bay.
My Aunt, Alex and I walking through the tunnel of fish.
Ayden was too scared to touch a sea star but Alex loved it and kept wanting Kim to put her back down to touch it.
A happy Ayden and Kim looking down at the sea lions on pier 39.
A family picture next to the Golden Gate bridge looking across to San Francisco.
Brad and Alex at Golden Gate Bridge. Brad, the bridge man, loved it.

Kim and Alex on the bridge.

The four of us walking along the bridge.

On our way home we stopped at the Jelly Belly Factory and took a tour and got some Belly Flops, the irregular jelly beans they do not sell at stores.

On our way home we also took a little detour when Brad accidentally got off I-80 and we found ourselves driving on HWY 50. Since this detour was going to set us back about an hour, it was the first time our spirits were not very high on the whole trip but our spirits soon brightened as we found ourselves driving through some amazingly beautiful towns in order to get back to I-80. We drove through Placerville, Ca and I fell in love with it. I told Brad maybe our detour was meant to be and we are supposed to move to Placerville. He thought it was beautiful too but I don't thing he bought it. Maybe someday! We did not take pictures of the beauty of the area, but here are some driving pictures after our spirits were a little brighter and we were back on I-80.

Well, Ayden did not know what was going on but she was really good the whole drive because of the blessed DVD player!
Alex did not know what was going on either but she was really good too.
This is a picture of Alex when we pulled into our house at 1:00 am this morning. Those lips are just too cute!