Lessons Learned

• No matter what time you go to bed, your child will still wake up at 7:00 a.m.
  
• When weather.com forecasts rain during your planned BBQ, it will rain (thus, making your outdoor BBQ hosting 25 people an indoor BBQ. Indoor BBQ not as ideal as an outdoor one, but still fun. Darn that rain).


• Having an indoor BBQ makes for some seriously messy indoor floors.


• Four day weekends are much better than two day weekends. I heart holidays.


• A seven-mile bike ride does not make up for: two pieces of chocolate-banana bread, two bowls of ice cream and, sadly, two lemon bars. Oh wait, make that three lemon bars. Arghh, holidays.
  
• 1:00 church makes me seriously tempted to go inactive.
  
• Doing yard work actually makes your yard look better. Who knew?
  
• Going to the park with my 15-month-old is both dangerous and vigorous. Dangerous because I, a 30-year-old woman, have to squeeze into spaces designed for a 3-ft. tall child. Vigorous because I, a 30-year-old woman, have to squeeze into spaces designed for a 3-ft. tall child AND make sure my own child doesn't: fall off the precarious ledges, slide down the slide backwards, and/or hug/wrestle other children right off those precarious ledges. It's quite the work-out.

Red Boots and Lawn Mowing

I had to post these photos of my little guy because I couldn't resist. Long before Will was even born, Josh's mom had given us these cute little red cowboy boots. Since I thought they were darling, I've just had them on the bottom shelf of my plant stand (ignore my sad, dying plant). Well, just yesterday Will discovered them and ever since has been begging me to put them on him. And, of course, I did. When he found them first thing yesterday morning, he was sans pants and it was so cute, that I just had to take a photo. And now you get to see him in nothing but his red boots (well, and a diaper and jammie top).

And since this was the first time Josh mowed the lawn while Will was awake, we had to go see what Dada was up to. And boy was he obsessed with the lawn mower. Then when Dada let him help push the lawn mower, he was just in a tizzy--he had to be mowing the lawn. And again, since it was too cute, I had to have a photo. Too bad Will never wants to actually look at the camera.

I had to take him inside soon after because he wanted so very badly to help his dada, but if that were the case, the lawn would never have gotten mowed. So, we went inside for a bath and bed instead. Cute little guy.

Looks Like We Made It!

That's right--we did it, we made it, we stayed the course and we even won! You may be wondering, who did what, where, when and why? Ne'er you fear, for I will tell you: we, Josh's splendid little sister Jane (Will's hair twin), her astonishing roomie Adrienne and I, ran/rode/ran the Toga Duathlon this last Saturday in Congers, NY. Now you may be wondering, what in the holy heck is a duathlon? Well, lucky you, I will tell you. It is a 5k run, a 25k bike ride followed by yet another 5k run. Intense, I tell you, intense. But fun. It was a little race (only 79 racers) and everyone there was pretty hardcore. The site was gorgeous--this little state park--so pretty and quaint with tons of nature (I even had to move off the path during one run to let a family of ducks cross). Out of 79 racers I was 63rd, but--and I should have led with this--I got first place in my age group. Wa-hoo. (I should definitely not mention that I was the only female racer in that age-group. I should let you believe I am super speedy). I accomplished all my goals: never, never give up and finish under two hours. That was impressive considering I rode 15.5 miles in running shorts. Yea, I wouldn't recommend it, but I couldn't fathom running in biking shorts, so I chose the lesser of two evils (I thought I might change shorts in between, but as luck would have it the professional photographer happened to set up shop right in my transition area. That's one photo I can safely say no one would want to see).

I loved training for the race, having a purpose to my work-outs and I loved the sense of accomplishment I felt after the race. I learned that I still don't love running so much, that I looooove biking (in biking shorts that is) and that I can't wait to compete in another race. Bring on the next race, people, bring it on!

And the real hero of the tale: my hubby Joshy. Not only was he super-dad every day after work so that I could train (he fed Will dinner every night, bathed him and got him ready for bed); not only did he encourage me and support me whole-heartedly in this venture; not only did he drive three hours (b/c of crazy traffic) to get to this race site and not only was he our bike putter-togetherer extraordinaire, but he also was our biggest cheerleader (along with Will) during the race. Since the bike course was four 4 mile loops, he and Will just camped out on a picnic bench and cheered us all on. It made my heart so happy to see them for every loop. Thanks, Joshy. Couldn't have done it without you.

And another shout out to my friend Beth who was my trainer and supporter. She devised an entire training program for me and even simulated a bike course so that I could be prepared for the race. And boy was I prepared. Thanks, Beth. You're the best. Now I'm ready for you to plan my next race, thank you very much...hee, hee.

Jane, Will, me and Adrienne all geared up for the big race.

Here's me on my bike in my fancy running shorts--super sexy. (The reason it's so blurry--why, it's because I am so very speedy).


Here I come. I so wanted to get to the finish line before one hour and fifty-seven minutes!

And I made it! Who knew I looked so good when running?

Jane (who got 3rd in her age group--wa-hoo), me (holding my first place plaque with pride) and Adrienne (who got fourth place in her age group, though they didn't give her a plaque. For shame!)
Me and my lovely plaque. Josh was so proud--he made me take this picture and then, when we got home, he placed the plaque in a place of honor: on our fireplace mantel. And I am really looking good. Did I tell you that it rained during the race? Well, it did.

One tuckered little guy with his auntie Jane.

And he crashed on the car ride home, clinging to his cup filled with yogurt raisins. When I initially tried to pry the cup from his hand, he woke up and wouldn't let me have it. He is pretty territorial about those yogurt raisins.

15 Months

Will had his 15-month check-up this past week, so I thought it might be time for a William update. This is really an update for my records, so feel free to just browse on down to the photos. His stats:

• 24 lbs. 8 oz. (55%)
• 32 inches (70%-but still far too short to go on any fun Disneyworld rides)
• 48 inch head circumference (45%)

This kid is full of life, energy, laughs and craziness, so much so that we can hardly keep up. Here's some fun facts about our little peanut:

• His words: hi, ball, nigh-nigh, hot, ma ma and da da.
• His signs: more (his form of it), milk and please. We're working on thank-you.
• He loooooooves to eat. I feel like all I do all day is feed him. He is constantly making the sign for more, which means more food now. When he wakes up in the morning he signs more then milk, then more, then milk which I interpret as: give me milk and food pronto.
• He'll still eat anything but his favorites are still meat, pasta and fruit.
• He thinks all food is hot. When we try to feed him something he says, "Ha, ha" and then blows on the food, even if he is eating yogurt. We tell him that it's not hot, but he isn't convinced.
• He can't get enough of the great outdoors. He will get his shoes and then stand by the door, clearly indicating that it's time to go outside. Once outside, he insists on running down our driveway (and directly into the road) at FULL speed; or rummaging through woods. We go to the school park after his nap a lot and there is a giant soccer/softball field surrounded by marshy woods--all he wants to do is play in the slimy woods. Yum.
• He is currently obsessed with the mouse on the computer--see photos below. His first tantrum came when I took the mouse away. That is a fun stage that I am definitely looking forward to.
• He can make a lot of animal sounds, though he won't always do it on demand. He pants like a dog, snorts like a big, roars like a bear, and growls like a tiger. I think it's pretty darn cute.
• He knows his body parts but refuses to show it. Any time I ask him where a body part is--he points to his ear. Occasionally, he will do the right thing, but it is a pass time that clearly doesn't interest him.
• He still loves to read and is getting so much better at letting me read to him. Before naps and bedtime I will read as many books as he'll let me (hey, I'm a sucker for reading). He recognizes books and parts that make him laugh since he'll open books and laugh at all the right parts.
• He is obsessed with phones. He walks around constantly with anything to his ear (even if it isn't a phone--my favorite are the church's door stops) and says hi over and over and over. The best is, he always laughs when on the phone, too. I guess I laugh when on the phone, because he sees it as common practice.
• He is still transitioning to one nap. I was hoping to get him happy with just one nap by the time we go to Disneyworld (in two weeks!) so we'll see. Two or three times a week he still needs two naps, while the other days he'll just take one, but for some reason, he doesn't always take the longest afternoon naps, so a lot of days he'll take a middle of the day nap and then go to bed extra early.
• He sleeps 12 hours at night. Usually from 7 to 7, though most nights he's in bed by 6:45. I like my evenings and he likes his sleep. It's a win-win.
• He adores his dad. And can recognize that the sound of the garage-door opening is his da-da coming home. He gets so very excited when he hears that sound. For some reason, he always growls at his dad. Maybe it's because Josh growls at him....
• His still loves his blankies (he calls them nigh-nighs), though Josh and I are blankey Nazis--we only let him have them in the crib b/c he won't put them down if he has them outside of it; he'll throw fits when we try to take them away for feeding and/or diapering and the such, so we just leave it in the crib. He knows now and will wave bye-bye to the blankey as we leave his room each morning.
• He really loves little babies and gives them hugs and even tries to pick them up. It's precious (he also loves dolls).
• He loves to give other kids hugs, especially this one little girl at church whose mother is an investigator. He is obsessed with that little girl and will chase her around all during church trying to give he hugs. His hugs are so enthusiastic that he knocks her right down to the ground. I'm not sure she's such a big fan of his hugs, but it is still stinkin' cute.
• He still only has 6 teeth--four on top and two on the bottom.
• He still hates getting his diaper changed, which is unfortunate since he has, as the doctor put it, a very healthy digestive system (meaning he has a lot of messy diapers).
• He is still, clearly, the light and life of our little world. We literally cannot get enough of him. We love this little guy and are having so much fun watching him grow!

Reaching for the mouse.

Standing on tip-toe to get that darn mouse.

Standing on the chair, smiling victoriously because he knows he is not supposed to stand on the chair.

Begging for food in the morning, as is common practice.

After eating a full breakfast of oatmeal with yogurt, a whole-wheat waffle, fruit and milk, he is apparently still hungry as he went to the pantry, got the crackers down and started chowing. Yes, he loves food!

Palmyra, People

We headed off to Palmyra for another trip to the temple. And it made my heart happy to be there. Everyone should go to Palmyra in the spring--there is something so tangibly sacred and spiritual about Palmyra in the spring. As usual, the temple trip was good for the soul (even if the six-hour round-trip car drive with a toddler was not good for the soul. Thank goodness for my son's seemingly unhealthy obsession with Baby Einsteins). Here are some shots of the family in the Sacred Grove. (And thank goodness it was not rainy like last time).

This is actually outside the Sacred Grove where we ate lunch on some picnic tables. Have I told you how much this kids loooooooves to eat? And how he will eat anything & everything? I had gone to this yummy local cafe and I was only going to buy two sandwiches to share between the three of us, but then I remembered how much my son ate. And he ate an entire adult-sized sandwich all.by.himself. And he loved it. And he kept making the sign for "more".

Will RAN in the grove. He loved it. He loves trails and nature walks and being outside in general. He went up to every tree and gave the tree a hug (I tried so hard to get a shot of that). And he refuses to hold your hand when we are on walks, as you can see from the above photo. And please ignore the fact that it is not a shot of my best "side".

He tried to pat all the leaves, pick up every rock and run down all the ravines.

And since we didn't have time to spend three hours there, Josh had to carry the peanut on his shoulders. And, of course, Josh's head became a drum.

Aren't my boys the cutest? I wish I could somehow express in words the absolute peace and joy I always feel when I go to the Sacred Grove. And I wish I could convey the overwhelming feeling of gratitude that overcame me as I walked through that holy place with the two people I love most in the world and how blessed I felt for all that I have. With the sun streaming through the leaves, casting intermittent rays of sunlight on the path, with the birds chirping in the trees and the sound of my son's laughter and awe at every new thing, I truly felt blessed. I am blessed. Happy Palmyra Trip!

Thirty, Flirty & Thriving

Well, it's official: I'm thirty now. When Josh and I met in Jerusalem, I had just turned twenty. I was so proud of myself for being twenty, constantly claiming that I could do anything now that I was twenty. Well, now that I am thirty I am not so bold. However, one thing that I can do now that I'm thirty, that I surely couldn't when I was twenty: change three messy diapers before 8:00 a.m. That's right--I'm thirty now and I can change a mean messy diaper. That's saying something.

My b-day week, as I like to refer to it, was marvelous, perfect, everything that I had asked for. It started off with a bang: Will waking up at 4:00 a.m. with one of those precious diapers. But b-day miracles do happen--Josh heard him (a miracle in itself) and got up unprompted, changed the diaper and rocked Will back to sleep. Impressive. It was all uphill from there. Will woke up again at 7:00 (again with the messy diaper--that's #2) and when I went in to go to the bathroom, I found a note leading me on a treasure hunt to find all my b-day prizes. And what prizes I received: bike shorts, bike shoes, clipless pedals (brave of me), bike socks, bike gloves. I'm sensing a theme. But I was stoked. Josh told me the other day that I'm starting to look like an actual cyclist. I wonder what I looked like before? After the treasure hunt, I got my third b-day present from Willy--yup, the THIRD messy diaper before 8:00 a.m. Happy B-day to me...

Anyway, my visiting teachers came and brought me flowers, I went out to lunch and then Will took a nice long nap while I got caught up on all my shows. Even though it was a Monday and that's my cleaning day, I did not do one productive thing. Perfect. Then, that night after I went running in the rain, took a shower and read on my bed in my robe (one of my favorite pass-times) I got the dream dinner: chicken Marsala, molten lava cakes and even cake batter ice cream (one of my favorites). We finished watching Australia (good show) and then were off to bed.

Here's the man cooking the meal (yes, in his penguin jammies--real men wear penguin jammies):

Friday rolled around (my official celebration day) and I got everything on my list. A homemade breakfast of steel-cut oats with all the fixins' (after I slept in, of course):

(Attractive photo of me eating breakfast, no?)

A mani-pedi: (showing it off in my new gold wedges) A family nap (love those. No photo included b/c we were sleeping!)

A romantic dinner at our favorite restaurant. I wish I could give the meal justice: spinach, artichoke dip for appetizer; pecan, cherry encrusted pork chop (dream); and chocolate pecan pie for dessert. Yes, it was heaven. And while we were enjoying a candlelit dinner, these two hooligans were babysitting our child:

(lucky for us, Will was in bed the entire time)

The peanut & the b-day gal:

Will's new trick:

He was sooooooooo excited that it was my b-day:

And how sweet is that face?

Happy 30th B-day to me! Thanks to my specified list (and my dutiful hubby), all went spectacularly well! Thanks, Squish for a great week! Thanks everyone for all the cards, calls, thoughts and presents! And the best gift--my sis Emily and her little guy Garret came the next week for a visit! Yipee! More to come on that.