My first half marathon

This past weekend was a lot of firsts.  My first time being without my family.  My first time running a half marathon.  My first time to Seattle!  It was a whirl wind weekend, but it was good and a lot of fun!  It all started Friday.

Friday morning I had a ton of cooking to do.  I figured if my husband was gracious enough to watch the kids for three days, by himself, then I should try to make it as easy as possible for him.  That meant, Friday morning I was making meals and snacks for the next few days.  I was lucky, and efficient, enough to get all my cooking done in about an hour and a half!  That included, lentil soup, rice pudding, meatloaf cupcakes and various other snacks.  :)  I was feeling pretty good.  Ingrid also came into town to celebrate Gaetan's birthday so we went out to eat and got some new clothes for the kids.  Gaetan had to go to class so Ingrid stayed around and played with Tristan while Lucy took a nap.  I was planning on getting everything packed for our overnight trip while she was there, but we were having a good time hanging out, being silly with Tristan, I figured it would wait.

Once Gaetan got home I had to pack our family for an overnight as fast as I could.  We drove to the east side of the state to stay with some friends, because my flight was really super early Saturday morning.  The kids stayed up way past their bedtime, because I knew that Lucy wasn't going to bed without a fight.  Tristan pretty much just stayed up until we went to bed, which was about 11:30.  It was nice having dinner with our friends again. Something I miss a lot... we used to do it several times a week together, and it's so relaxing and filled with lots of food... what could be better?

Lucy woke up at 2 for some milk and after that I was wide awake.  Going through lots of things in my head, making sure everything was taken care of... then I got people up and ready around 4 so that we could get out of the door.  My flight left at 6:15... but since I haven't flown in a really long time I didn't know how long it was going to get through security and all that.  We made it there earlier than we expected, but it was a good thing because the security line was LONG.  Everything was perfectly planned so that I could hit the bathroom, and get something for breakfast without rushing.  I was going to relax a bit more once I was on the plane.

Chai... breakfast of champions.

On my way to Denver

I had made it on the plane!  Adventures.... ready to go!

The flight to Denver and stuff was pretty bumpy.  I didn't take my motion sickness medication because I'm still nursing and they suggest that you don't.  That was a labor of love.  I was sick sick sick.  I was really happy that I didn't throw up, but I was pretty much sick for the rest of the weekend because of it.  Oof.  We did fly over some mountains, which I took some pictures for Tristan and he was SO EXCITED about it.  Normally I sleep during my flights, but this time I didn't...

On my way to Seattle!

Mountains flying into Seattle

I landed in Seattle and it was so good to see my friends Amy and Brian.  We had to stick around downtown to pick up our race packets, so we walked around and hit up some of the touristy things to see.  It was nice just to get out and about and get some fresh air.  We hit up the Crab Pot which was some place Amy had never gone, but wanted to try.  It was good... but expensive.  :)  we found out that we actually had to go to Mercer Island to pick up our packets so that was a little bit of an adventure.  It's a beautiful island, and the houses were pretty impressive!  I figured it was going to make for nice scenery while we ran.

More mountains for Duder

Amy and Brian with some scenery

Space needle with 'Angry Bird'

In front of the musical fountain

Lunch!

We just hung out for the rest of the night, which was nice.  We got to bed at a decent hour for our early start the next morning!  We woke up fairly early because we were going to take a couple of buses to Mercer Island, because we figured the traffic was going to be a hot mess.  There was a little bit of a fiasco with the first bus option, but we made it there eventually :)  It was funny how much Brian seemed like he wanted to use public transportation but Amy wanted to just drive.  Turns out driving would've been just fine, but who would've known?  Traffic on a normal day is hectic, at best, so we figured that an event like this would make it worse.

The weather was pretty chilly when we first got there, but before the race I convinced Amy that it would be a good idea to wear shorts.  Personally, I hate being hot, so I would've much rather have been cold, which was not the case.  Once we got running we were SO happy that we had shorts on.

I am happy to say that I beat my goal!  I was just hoping to do it in less than 2 hours and 10 minutes (a ten minute/mile pace) but we did it in 2:04!  :)  That averaged out to be around 9:28... which is WAY faster than I ever run during training.  It must've been the environment and being around other people.  The island was beautiful... but really hilly.  Around mile 7 the lady there said something about the 7 mile ascension... and she wasn't kidding.  It was pretty much up hill until the biggest hill between 11 and 12.  oof.  Our first half of the race was about 57 minutes, which I was really happy with!  We even had a few  8 minute miles in there... but the last half of the race plus the combination of the hills was intense.

Happy we made it to the Island.. it was pretty cold (see blue lips!)

Before the race

After race, dry clothes... happy to be done!

I was happy to have been able to be out there and support Amy.  :)  It was a great experience to share together I thought.  We spent the rest of the day just hanging out, rehydrating, resting and just recovering from our fun filled adventure.  Later that night I was able to meet up with a good childhood friend.  He was flying into Seattle late that night so we met up for a quick drink, because everybody had to still go to work early the next morning, and I had to get ready to fly back home.

With Beaker at Pike's Brewery

The next morning another old family friend came over with her kids, and I got to give her my milk and see her kiddos.  She was nice enough to bring me downtown so that I could meet up with Amy one last time for lunch and catch the light rail to the airport.  That was the beginning of my travels home.  I talked with a pharmacist and she said that I could have motion sickness meds if I 'pumped and dumped' for a day.  I was relieved because I didn't want to be sick like that again!  The flight into Denver was so bumpy that they never took the fasten seatbelt light off and there were several times that my bunda actually left my seat!

I flew into Detroit around midnight and then we had to drive home after that.  It was so good to see my family again and be home. It was a great experience, and I'm looking forward to seeing them again.  :)

JVG

Up Dog

Tristan has such a funny personality for a 2.5 year old.  He finds things funny and understands why they are so.  The other day he told his first joke to a stranger.  We were in line at the grocery store and he said, "Up dog" to the cashier.  The cashier looked puzzled and said, "What's up dog?"  Then Tristan just smiled and laughed.  He's amazingly cute and funny.  Good work dude.

JVG

Catalyst

I can't believe that the weekend is already upon us... as I sit here I think of all the things that I have to get done before tomorrow night.  This week has gone by so quickly... and really ever since I bought my tickets to Seattle it has.  I thought that it wouldn't be fast enough, but now I can't believe that it's almost here.

Today was a really good day though.  The kids slept in (Lucy got up at 8 with only getting up once last night and Duder slept in til about 930!).  Then Gaetan was so gracious enough to get them ready for the day so that I could do my running outside, instead of on a treadmill later tonight.  Let me tell you... running outside is SO MUCH better than running on a treadmill.  Although, I have to admit for about the first 4 miles I really didn't want to be running at all... it was all mental.  But, I met up with them at the library, and then actually ran home to shower and they met me there.  We got to drop Papa off at work (and Duder always chimes in, "and school") and then I got the kids to myself :)

We just took an easy day.  They had already played pretty hard at the library with Papa, and so after lunch we just played upstairs.  Did a lot of reading, and they actually entertained each other.  That meant I got to do a couple loads of laundry and fold some laundry.  Before I knew it it was time to pick Papa up from school.

I got to go shopping quickly to get some needed items for Seattle this weekend and then we got home and had dinner.  Played with the kids and got them to bed early.  They both missed out on naps today so they were more than ready.  That meant that we got to spend a lot of time together tonight.  :)  Its amazing what it can do for us (as a couple) to have that down time together.  And because the kids got to bed so early we can get other productive things done after hanging out.  :)

My spirits were high today and everything was just wonderful.  Here's to the busiest weekend ever... probably.  :)  Will let you know how this weekend goes!  Wish me luck!

JVG

Hormones

WARNING: This may contain talk of which you might find unfavorable, so ye be warned!

Its been about 2 months now since I restarted having my period again.  With Tristan I got it again after he was about 9 months and the same with Lucy.  I guess it started when they started to eat more solid food and not as much nursing, even though she still does nurse a little bit.  HOWEVER, I feel like my body doesn't know how to handle the hormones yet, or my hormones are out of whack.

I don't remember being a big ball of crazy when I would ovulate (you know, two weeks before you actually menstrate) but it's horrible now.  It's like I have this out of body experience and can see that I'm being extra strength crazy and there isn't anything I can do about it.  Sometimes I can feel it coming on, and I can stop it, for the most part, but other times it just flies.  And I guess I would say that it's mostly directed towards Gaetan (poor man) and never the kids.  And he and I have talked about it, so he knows whats going on, but it still isn't fair and it sucks.

I used to think that people would make excuses for their horrible attitudes, but hormones are a crazy thing.  I worry sometimes that I'm going to be like this forever... which I just can't have.  There is no excuse for it, and since I'm aware of it, I can try to focus more on not letting it happen, but its so strange that it does happen to me now.  I have read/heard about woman who go through menopause and how they are sometimes crazy, and we actually had a family friend do that, so I know that it's not just an excuse that people use... which is scary too.  Luckily for me I know that Gaetan keeps me in check, and wouldn't ever let it get to out of hand.

Another weird thing that happened since I started my cycle again is that I get sick everytime I'm about to menstrate.  It's annoying.  I feel like I'm sick all the time... and I'm not sure if its a combo of the kids being sick, me running a ton, and my body not being used to the hormones, but its crazy!  I'm hoping that my body figures it out quick so I don't have to go through crazy sick girl once a month for a long time.

JVG

Ice Cream

With this wonderful weather Michigan has been having we having been enjoying the great outdoors... and with that, ice cream!  There is a DQ about 1.5 miles away from our place, so the other day we walked to the library and then hit it up for a little bit of ice cream.  I initially got the ice cream for Duder but he wasn't so interested, but oh boy, was Lucy!  haha.

 Her first taste of ice cream... and it definitely wouldn't be her last.

 Licking her lips...

 Contemplating if she thought it was good...

 She thought it was... and kept reaching for me to give her more, because I was waiting to long in between licks!

Happy girly :)

JVG

St. Patty's Day

Our St. Patty's Day was probably very different than most... which is a good thing.  Ours started out by waking up pretty stinking early (we even had to wake the kids up, and that's saying something) and driving out to the east side of the state.  There, Gaetan went to all day capoeira workshops and I got to spend some QT with a good friend Ashley.

Baby Girl enjoying herself... she was just eating her foot, but she put it down before I could get a picture.

 The sun was in Duder's eyes and he wasn't thrilled about it, so I let him wear my sunglasses for a little bit...

Then he saw Lucy's hat, because the glasses kept falling off, so he gave that one a try... he may look like he wasn't amused, but he wore that for the rest of the trip. haha

We started out our girl time (with the kiddos, of course) by going to Ikea.  Not to browse, but just a quick purchase.  We finally had a little extra money so we could get Duder a twin size mattress for the bottom part of his bunk.  Oh man, was he excited to see that mattress... He looks so small on it, but he loves it!

After that, a good friend Pipoca (I guess her real name is DeAnna, but I don't think I've ever called her by that... mostly her capo name) took a study break to come to the farmer's market, Kerrytown and a cloth diapering store.  Now, I know that probably doesn't sound that exciting but it really is.  :)  Ashley doesn't have a car during the week, so to be able to run around and do some errands was really nice.  I always like farmer's markets... I didn't get anything this time, but usually the produce is so worth it being a little more expensive.  And you know it's local, so you're supporting that cause too!  Kerrytown is this cute little market right next to the farmer's market with a lot of fresh things, and a lot of items you wouldn't find in your ordinary grocery store.  It's a pretty happenin' place and the aisle were kinda small, so the double stroller had some difficulties at time, but it was good.  Ashley bought some delicious steak (which we had for lunch) and other various items for the rest of their grocery week.  I took this opportunity to get the kids a snack, since the steering through the aisles were a bit challenging.  Next, we hit up a cloth diaper store because I was almost out of detergent, and the place I have gotten all my cloth diapering needs doesn't ship anymore!  The store was amazing... and if I had more time then I probably would've browsed a little bit more.

The kids passed out in the car ride back and Duder actually stayed asleep once we got back to their place, and through the transfer from the car to the guest bedroom.  So it was just the girls for a little bit, hanging out, eating and being silly.  After lunch I did a little shopping through Ashley's closet and got some great comfy winter stuff (for next year) and she got to purge some stuff for donation.

Duder, zonked out in the guest bedroom

We also got to go on a great walk and just talk about whatever.  I think the most relaxing part about the visit was that we didn't have to be doing something to be enjoying ourselves.  Being neighbors for a few years we definitely got used to just hanging out while the other person did whatever, and it was good.  No pressure to entertain.  No putting out weird fronts.  Simple.  It was wonderful.

I had never tried laying Lucy back in the stroller, but she seemed to think it was comfortable enough and passed out during our walk.

And I'm sure that Gaetan had a lot of fun at the workshops with the boys.  :)  I'm glad that he got this break to do something that he likes to do, and I know that he loves his family, but everybody needs a break from that too.

So all in all we had a great day.  It was a bit of a long/late one, but totally worth it.  I just felt so refreshed at the end of it, even though I was beat dead tired.  Definitely miss not having them (Ashley and Sunil) around, but it just makes the times that we do get to hang out that much better.

JVG

Lucy the bull

Now that Lucy is walking a little here and a little there her crawling speed is exponentially growing.  It's outta control out fast that little girl can go!  I just wanted to remind myself of how she does it... it's so cute.  She smiles, then she puts her head down and just zoom a crooms... she does it a few times until she's at top speed.  She looks like she's a bull ready to charge.  Of course, she is the cutest bull ever, and I don't mind having her charge me.  I hope I don't forget these little things that they do, so I can share them with them when they are older and have their own kids.  She is our sweet little bull dozer.

JVG

Song reminds me of Gaetan

I heard this song a few years ago on the radio, and I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it at first... but now it's one of my favorite songs.  It's called Lead Me by Sanctus Real.  The singer wrote it because of the struggles he was having in his own marriage, and being in a Christian band they weren't going to give up.


Now, I would say that our marriage is rocky free.  And I think the reason why I like this song so much is because it reminds me of all the things Gaetan does for us.  He talks about needing the Lord to lead him, and I know that Gaetan trusts in the Lord with everything.  And I never feel like he is off chasing his own dreams leaving us to fend for ourselves.  Daily, I feel and recognize his efforts and love for us.  Without a shadow I know that I'm still the love of his life because he lets me know it and by his actions.  He makes a big deal out of it when I make his coffee in the morning for him... and I know that is something he could just blow right on by and expect and take for granted, but he never does.  He takes those few seconds in the morning to thank me with such sincerity every day.


I know that it would be so easy to get caught up with all his opportunities, school work, being brilliant, but he keeps everything in check.  I never feel like we are a hassle, or something that he has to do, but being around us is something he loves to do.  So thank you darling.  We appreciate your leadership more than you know.


JVG


I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames, I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling, but on the inside

Oh, I can hear her saying

Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent, but on the inside

Oh, I can hear them saying

Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh Father, show me the way
To lead them


Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me 'cause I can't do this alone

Happy Pi (Birthday) Babe

For most of the nerdy community out there today is Pi day!  3.14... fun stuff right?  haha.  But for us it is so much more.  26 years ago the world's most thoughtful husband, and loving Papa came into this world!  I know birthdays don't get really exciting anymore (except maybe car insurance goes down) haha and I realize that half the time he doesn't know what day it is, but I think we should take a moment and recognize what a wonderful individual he is!

There is so much he is good at and so many gifts that God has given him, yet he is always so humble about them.  I think, sometimes to a fault, but it's better than being arrogant!  I am just so impressed that he can doing all that thinking (things I can't even imagine to understand) and then come home and be such a good Papa.  I would think that anybody would just want a few minutes to unwind and relax a bit after all that, but not him.  The moment he's through the door (and the shoes are off) he's ready to play.

It's such a relief to know that his family comes first (well, besides God).  Remember that amazing opportunity I told you about earlier about working with Dr. Wuosmaa?  Well, it turns out that he has his grad students traveling a lot... like sometimes months at a time and Gaetan, without even hesitating, said that it wasn't for him.  I appreciate the fact that he would rather be home with us, but I know that there are a lot of people that would jump at the opportunity.  There were a handful of other factors that went into turning Dr. Wuosmaa down, but I know, because of his faithfulness to his family, and the Lord, God presented another wonderful opportunity for him!

He accepted a researching position, starting this summer, with another well known and well connected Prof at WMU.  He will be funded by NASA and will be working on the Quantum Defect Theory for theoretical molecular physics... whew!  Apparently it is pretty original and he can work on this for his thesis if it's something he's interested in after the summer.  This also means that he doesn't have to teach labs anymore so he can focus mostly on research and classes.  :)  And because it's theoretical he doesn't have to travel (like with Wuosmaa it was experimental) and it sounds like he's going to be home a lot more!  And after classes are done then we could see about maybe moving west... to Seattle... but let's not get ahead of ourselves quite yet  :)

So pretty much he is amazing, and wonderful and good looking.  :)  I know that we didn't get to do something special on his birthday, but hopefully we can go on another date to celebrate all his accomplishments.  We are extremely blessed to have you in our lives, to be the head of this house and the comfort in knowing that you are making your decisions from the One who really counts.  We love you so very much.

This is a picture of the first time I ever laid eyes on Gaetan.  This is the tutor picture board at GVSU that I stole because he's dreamy and now it's on our fridge. haha

JVG

Beautiful weather

It has been unseasonably warm the past week or two.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining but its craziness!  Today was over 60 degrees and sunny!  I love being able to take the kids outside and play.  I know that it does them a lot of good to be outside and breath fresh air, and I know that it really helps them sleep well at night too (which I love!)

Today was Gaetan's long day so I got to take the kids to the playground.  This playground is on one of the trails that I run so when Duder got sick of playing we just walked the trail for awhile.  He loves rocks too... so he collected a bunch of them in his pockets, and then told me that his pants were heavy.  haha.  He have designated a tree by the parking lot that he puts all his rocks after we get back from our walk.  This way, he can pick up rocks and then I don't have to have them around my house :)  it's win win.  He also told me today that red lights mean stop and green lights mean go.  He's so smart.

 Baby girl sporting her going out hat :)

 Duder on the 'big' slide

Hanging out at one of the scenic lookouts on the trail.


Also with this beautiful weather, and day light savings its lighter our later so when Gaetan gets home from class we can still go out as a family.  I know that the kids like that too.  I like it also because it's been giving me a chance to run outside.  I didn't realize how awful it is to run on a treadmill for so many miles when running outside is right there.  I know that I have to at times because after the kids are asleep its to dark, but with this new weather I have been blessed to be able to do it before dinner.

I know a lot of people complain about day light savings but I actually am liking it. I know its all a state of mind, but the kids are waking up at a reasonable hour now!  :)  Instead of Lucy's 5-6 am she's been getting up around 7:30 or 8.  Duder has been sleeping a lot lately because we've been playing hard and not really been taking naps, plus I think he's growing.

All these things just put me in a great mood.  God is good, all the time.

JVG

It felt like Monopoly

So the other night we were going over our bank account (at home) and noticed there were a bunch of courtesy fees... ahhh what?!  I knew that it was running a little tight because there were unexpected expenses that came up, but I was fairly certain that we hadn't over drawn... so seeing big red numbers in our account was quite the shocker.

Upon further inspection it looked like the bank messed up!  They penalized us for no apparent reason and when I went into the bank the next morning to sort things out they apologized up and down and didn't know why it did it either.  Bank fees are HARSH.  They nailed us $30 every time we used our card and it thought we were over drawn.  Oof.  So even though the last time we did use our card we were over drawn (due to a mistake on my part) the bank said that they were going to pay us back for all the fees. :)  That was awesome.  I was thinking I was going to have to put my cranky pants on and get something taken care of... but it was all very nice and cordial.

I felt like it was that chance card from Monopoly, "bank errors in your favor.  Collect $$"  And every time I play that game and get that card I always think to myself, "yeah right.  Like that ever happens."  And from watching other people's experiences banks really don't admit that they make mistakes... and if they do they make it such a hassle for you to right it it really doesn't seem worth the trouble.  So here's my plug for Lake Michigan Credit Union.  They rock.  :)

JVG

Break is over... already?

Here we are already back from break and into day 2!  The end was break was busy busy busy for this Momma.  There was a lot of driving involved but at the end a good family friend was married, we got to spend some good QT with my parents, and we even got to go on a date!

Break is always an interesting time... I feel badly because I feel like Gaetan never gets a true break.  But he tells me that his breaks are supposed to be breaks for me... I was worried that he wasn't going to get all the things that he needed to get done over break (like 2 homework assignments, grading and studying for 2 tests) but he managed to do it, while still giving me a break and watching the kids!  At the end of the week I felt like I hadn't seen the kids hardly at all... I was driving a lot back and forth to GR for this wedding and it's not something I'm used to doing.  It was nice to have help with the kids during the day, but I'm not really used to that either... so even though I was around and 'saw' the kids, I didn't really see them like I normally do.

So, here we are back into the full swing of things and it feels natural and great.  All things considered I'm pretty rested and am excited for what the rest of this week holds... it's gonna be a busy one until Lucy's birthday (April 15th!)  Whoa!  Will have lots of blogging I'm sure to do to update (and hopefully have more pictures).

JVG

First hole in the knee

Last Sunday was the first, and I'm quite sure, not the last hole that he will ever wear into a pair of jeans.  He plays so hard and these jeans have actually lasted him a lot longer than I expected... but here is to a long time of patching jeans and having to get him new ones before he grows out of them!

JVG

Talkative Tristan

Both kids right now are in a stage where they are changing so much and learning so much!  Tristan is quite the little talker now.  He is so bright he picks up on everything... so I have been trying to make sure that I don't let him take short cuts when I know he can do it correctly.  For instance he tries to get away with getting things by pointing at them and just kinda making some noise, which I obviously understand what he wants, but I know that he can communicate better.  So now when he wants things he asks, "Momma, may I please have _______ please."  hahaha.  And it's really hard to tell him 'no' when he asks so nicely for things.  Most of the time he gets whatever it is, but of course there are exceptions... like, candy before bed.  :P

He is very curious about a lot of things that Lucy does too.  Whenever I make something for Lucy to eat (usually baby food if she's eating before him) he asks, "Momma, what is Lucy eating?"  And then he'll answer himself by saying, "MMMMEEAT!"  It's really funny.  I'm not sure why he always assumes that she's eating meat, but that's what he says.

I love the tone and inflection of his voice and all the little ways that he says different things.  I can't get over how smart he is and what a personality he has.  I am fully aware that most 2.5 year olds don't talk in sentences, read and spell the way he does, but it's awesome, and I hope to continue to feed him knowledge.

It's also nice because he is starting to ad lib his own prayers too.  Before he kinda would say the same thing but now he adds things in, either things we are going to do, or already did.  :)

He is our sweet little Goober Face.  I love you Duder.

Random thoughts

Today I figured out that since training I have run 378 miles... I guess when I think about it that way I won't think that running 26.2 is a lot!  haha.  The ridiculous thing is that I have around 350 more miles to train until M-Day (marathon day)... although I can't believe that its about a month and a half away... but at the same time I'm glad that it is, and in some ways I wish it were closer.  I feel like my body is ready for the marathon now, but it will be good for it to get some more miles under my belt before the race.  I can't believe in a few weeks I will be flying to Seattle, kidless and husbandless.... for a half marathon!  That's insane!  And the worst part is in my mind I think, "13.1 miles... that's not so far."  WHAT?!  yes it is!  haha.  I will look forward to after the races when I can eat dinner with my family and not have to run miles after the kids are asleep.  :)

Today Gaetan and I got to go on a date.  :)  It was awesome.  We just went out to eat and then stopped at a Korean Market to pick up some items, (that you can't really get at Meijer) for a recipe I'm trying tomorrow. One of the nice things about break is that I get to experiment with new recipes, and we have had quite a few winners already this week!  The date nice... quiet, and it was just us.  I'm learning more and more, as the kids get older, to relax when I'm not with them.  Especially the first times we left Tristan with my parents the entire time I could only really half enjoy it because I was wondering how he was doing, and how my parents were doing with him, ya know... but I think as they get older and understand more (and like Grandma and Grandpa's house) things are easier for me to leave for a few hours to have some QT with the husband.  Lucy did really well tonight too, which is great.  She gets upset when she sees me leave for things, so we distracted her while we left for dinner.  It is refreshing to know that I still enjoy the company of my husband... which might sound weird to say, but I know that things can get busy with the kids, work, school, life and sometimes you forget why you married that person.  But, I am happy to say I haven't forgotten why he is the love of my life, and probably all the other factors in life have just enforced why he is perfect for me.

I was actually listening to piece on NPR about how divorce is decreasing in younger couples but has almost doubled in people over 50... and they had their reasons and they talked with experts, and I suppose it all made sense, but that is crazy to me.  People talking about how they've been married for 30+ years and now they're done being married to that person.  Little things like listening to NPR and hearing that piece or being around other people who's marriages are rocky or failing just proves to me over and over again that when looks, jobs, family, anything not permanent fades away you need to have that strong solid common ground... and I know that Gaetan and I do.  Jesus wasn't joking around when He talked about having a solid marriage (and life) centered and anchored on Him.  I'm sure we will have our tough times but we both know, at the end of the day, where the other person is coming from because we are both basing our decisions off of our relationship with God.  And what a relief and comfort that is.

Well, break is almost over and time has flown.  I have to play a wedding this weekend... so hopefully it all goes well!  :)  It's nice being able to contribute a bit to our finances here and there.

Just waiting for Gaetan to get done putting Duder to bed so we can watch some Psych :)  It's the little things that make date night awesome... even if they are interrupted here and there with our kids.  We wouldn't want it any other way.

JVG

Lucy update

I know that this is a little behind some of my other posts but Lucy is changing ever so rapidly!  That's the exciting part of this age... even a week or two make such a difference!  As I said before Lucy was taking a few steps (this was just last week) and now, today, she is a walking machine!  I couldn't believe how fast she did that, but Tristan was the same way.  He didn't really show a lot of signs of walking a ton, but then he just got up and did it and never stopped!

Eating wise she has been maturing.  She will only eat baby food if she doesn't see anybody else eating other 'big kid' food.  So she usually eats first, the baby food, and then she has bits and pieces of whatever we're eating.  She LOVES polenta... which I thought was pretty funny.  Fish. Peas.  She is also doing really well with her sippy cup.  I tried giving it to her about two weeks ago and she didn't seem to have much interest in it.  But, just two weeks later, she is wielding that cup like she's always had it.  It's kinda nice because this means I don't have to sit there and hold it for her while she figures it out.  I think she had a bit of a learning curve on it because she never had a bottle... so she was unfamiliar with what to do with that type of thing.  But, she surely did figure it out in a hurry!

With her motor skills she is getting into everything.  One of Gaetan's spring break projects was to put baby proofing thing on the cupboards (which he did already :)  I would come into the kitchen and all the tupperware would be out on the floor with her sitting there smiling every so sweetly.  Or, she would've gotten into Tristan's cupboard and all his plates, cups and bowls would be strung out all over the place.  I didn't want to squash her curiosity, so I let it go on for a little while, but the cupboards are now Lucy Cane proof.  We got Tristan this shape box for Christmas and she has figured out how to put some shapes in the correct spaces already... what?!  crazy!  She has also learned how to untwist things to get into them and you know those rings that snap together?  She's figured out how to get them together and take them apart.  She is very clever...

I can't wait to see what other new things she is going to show us that she knows.  I swear that kids know way more than they lead on, it's just a matter of us catching them doing it.  Then, once they know we know their tricks they figure they might as well show us all the time.  :)

I love you Baby Girl.  You are wonderful and you amaze all the time.

JVG

Busy beginning of break

I find it ironic how we all look forward to breaks, Christmas break, spring break, random holidays off... because we somehow think we're actually going to get a break.  Most of the time I realize that means I have all this time so then I fill it up and I end up being busier than I normally am!

I guess this break hasn't been any exception... and with kids it's always going to be busy.  Gaetan and I think, "Oh good a break is coming and there are lots of days off..." but we have so far filled them to the brim.  Lots of playing and spending time together, but at the end of the day I think we're more exhausted!  Today Lucy woke up real early... she hasn't been sleeping very well since break started and I think she's cutting some more teeth.  Duder got up a few hours later and I thought it'd be nice to let Gaetan sleep in... since this is HIS break after all.  We played and hung out and then I thought that Lucy was going down for a nap... which apparently lasted all of 5 minutes.  Just enough time for me to think she was down so I went running outside (it was 55 degrees out today!) but I guess she woke up the minute I left.  We had some lunch, and then got ready for our first official family photo shoot.

We purchased a Groupon for JC Penney's and it was going to expire next week... so I figured break was a good time to do it.  Got the kids all dressed nicely, bathed and we made our appointment on time!  :)  The shoot was a little frustrating because, well, I have a 2.5 yr old and 10 month old and its a hit or miss on if they're going to stay still, smile, etc etc.  Overall the shoot went pretty well, and we got some cute pictures.  Will have to show them to you when we get them next week.  :)

Because the weather was so stinking nice out we headed to the playground afterwards.  Dude LOVED it.  I'm glad that he's all about being outdoors and being active... We came home, had some dinner and then it was about time to get ready for beddy.

Lu Girl has had quite the big day today also.  She is officially a walker now.  She can walk all around!  I think she still prefers crawling as her fast mode of transportation, but she can walk pretty quickly also.  As I mentioned before I thought that she was cutting teeth and she is... like 4 of her top teeth!  And tonight when we were getting ready for bed she pooped in the potty again!  Whoo!

Duder learned how to spell velociraptor the other day, and now he's onto carnivore.  My kids are ridiculous!  It's good that he has such a love for learning though... and that he finds it fun.  Can't make kids have that kind of enthusiasm!

Pretty tired now, and the rest of break is already booked!  Yikes!  From here until the end of break we will be in GR every day for some or another.  Good thing we just changed the oil in the van, because we are going to be putting some miles on it this week!  Will update about the rest of break later.

JVG

New contacts

It's been about 2 years since I've worn contacts.  The last time I got an eye check up was right before I got married (because I was still on my parent's insurance).  After that, it was just to expensive to do it, and I couldn't justify spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on something I just wanted, didn't need.  My glasses were suiting me just fine and I wasn't doing anything super active that demanded anything besides my glasses.

However, since I decided to start running like a crazy person my glasses were getting more wear and tear.  One of the nose pads fell off my glasses last year, which wasn't really that big of a deal.  It wasn't presenting any discomfort until Lucy got really good with her hands.  She would grab my glasses off my face so fast, but because there wasn't the cushion on there it would almost cut my nose every time.  Ouch ville.  And with this half marathon in Seattle, which proves to be rainy quite a bit, I thought I would do some researching into contacts.

Lucky for me they have come a long way in contacts from even just a few years ago.  I have an astigmatism and when I was wearing contacts there was only one brand that I could wear.  Now that's not the case and so things were cheaper.  :)  I've been in these contacts for about a week, and I can't believe what a difference it makes.  Not only with the running, but just with daily life.

I'm so thankful that we were able to swing this and that my husband is always looking out for me and providing in these little ways to make life easier.

So here's to being glasses free for a bit!  :)  I know that it will be helpful during running... only 1.5 more months until the big one!

JVG

March 2, 2012

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday!  And we all know how much Duder loves his alphabet, which has turned into a love for books and reading.  So he got the Dr Seuss Alphabet book from the library... which he can read to me.  It's amazing.

I also discovered today that my two year old would rather eat fish and peas than have pizza.... Lucy has been a big eating machine!  I made those meatloaf 'cupcakes' again and she ate a whole one and she ate 2.5 pieces of fish with some peas too.  She really doesn't like baby food but she'll eat it, as long as she doesn't see anybody else eating something else.  My kids are both funny... and I'm glad that they're not picky eaters.

There were lots of good things that happened today!  It is the beginning of Spring Break for Gaetan... which I know is a much needed break for him.  I can't imagine the mental exercise he must get... ugh.  Better him than me.  :)

And because he's on spring break I was able to do my long run during the day instead of at night when the kids went down.  I always get so nervous that Lucy's going to wake up and reek havoc and wake Duder up and then he's stuck with two unhappy awake kiddos.  The miles during the week are quite manageable, so I'm not worried that I'll be gone for hours, but the long runs on the weekend are getting quite long. Today's long run was 20 miles! And because it was during the kids nap time (which wasn't in the middle of  the night) I was able to run outside.  What a difference that makes!  And even though it wasn't really that nice outside, it's just so much better than running on a treadmill.  I was able to do the first 8 miles outside, but it was raining so hard that I was soaked so I had to continue running inside.  I struggled through the next 8 miles mentally (it just gets to boring on the treadmill) that I saw that it had stopped raining so I happily finished up the rest outside.  My legs feel great... considering the stress I just put them through.  I don't know how excited I'm going to be do it again, but at least I know I can do it :)

Also... Lucy had her first poop in the potty!  I know its weird to blog about poop, but any parent would understand that anything that gets them closer to not having to diaper their child is huge.  I was getting her ready for bed, and she likes to be nakey for a little while before I put her PJ's on her... but she was giving me all the signs that she had to poop so I put her on the potty, and she sat on there like a champ.  A few seconds later she gave me her sign that she was done and she had done it!  It was pretty exciting!  :)

This day has been great.  Little things here and there have made it a bit of a historic day haha.  Here's to the brownies I'm about to consume with Gaetan and our downtime together :)

JVG