Sunday at Grandmas.....

Well, I committed the ultimate blogger sin and went somewhere today without my camera. I cooked a meal and took it to my Grandma's house to eat with her and my aunt Debbie.... it was so nice to sit and visit with them for a while without any kids! Yes you heard right. Addison slept right through it all in the back room.....Ian was at a friends house and Evan spent the day at Lagoon with his friends family. So, it was just some good food and adult conversation. Something I dont get very often. I had planned on taking some nice pictures to go along with this post and also some pictures of our meal for my food blog. Oh well. Guess you cant capture everything! It was a really nice evening and Im thinking I should do it more often.

I ran again last night and plan on going later this evening as well. Surprisingly my body is handling it pretty good considering! There is some soreness of course but it isnt enough to keep me from it. Im feeling stronger and running a little bit longer each time. My neighbor has offered to run the 5k Turkey Trot with me in November.....that is if I can make it by then. That is my goal anyway. Ever since my friend Alisha trained and ran in some races I have had the bug in my head to do it too. It would be something I never thought I would do and I think that is the reason I need to do it. Im going to try my hardest to complete it......I'll keep you posted!

My first day of work was great and Im actually looking forward to going to work again tonight! The job is fun and something that I really enjoy doing.

Today was day 4 of getting up at 5am and walk/running. I am able to run a little bit more so I can see progress which is great. The scale hasnt reflected anything yet but Im being patient.

Ian has moved into the 2 shot catergory for his allergy shots. He was not too happy upon hearing that news today..... but he took them like a champ and didnt shed a tear. Im very proud of him because I know it isnt much fun! You can see how much he enjoyed it by the picture....

Addison finished up swim lessons today. I think she learned a little although she seems more afraid of the water now than she was before. Im not sure what that is about but we are planning to go to Vegas for Labor Day weekend and hopefully when she gets in Gma and Gpa's pool she will remember how much she really loves the water!

We went school shopping for Evan this weeks and found great deals at Old Navy. 40% all kids clothing. I love sales like that. We came in under budget because of it and that is always a plus! Evan is so excited to start 1st grade he can hardly stand it. Unlike Ian, he gets to wear regular clothes to school....no uniform and its a good thing because Evan is very picky about how he looks. I think he must take after his uncle Nate......oh boy. His favorite piece of clothing is a zip up hoodie with stars on it. He cant wait for it to get cool enough outside for him to wear it.

Addison is not far behind Evan. Everytime we go to the store and pass the kids clothes or shoes, she goes nuts. She pulls out boxes of shoes and trys them on and models for everyone. Thats a bad sign of things to come! Little does she know how bad her mothers shoe fetish was at one time. If you had told me 12 years ago that I would one day only own 2 or 3 pairs of shoes I would have laughed in your face....those were the days.

Run Forest Run!.....

Today is my 2nd day getting up at 5:00 in the morning to run/walk....or rather walk/jog. If you know me then you know how much I hate running. Hate may seem like a strong word but seriously....if I had to run to save my life, well lets just say that I would probably end up meeting my maker pretty quickly. Even when I was thin and in better shape, I felt like a drunk elephant whenever I ran. My body is just not built for it. However, I decided that I was going to attempt it again because it does help me lose weight quickly. Keeping in mind that I havent run a step since, Oh.....about 1996, then you can understand how miserable this must feel to me. Right now I obviously cant run for very long at all. But, I walk for the long sides of the block and run on the short sides. Eventually I hope to be able to run the entire block.....but lets not get ahead of ourselves! Baby steps.....

Identity Reclaimed.....ALmost.

I FINALLY received my birth certificate today. Although it was a little touch and go there for a while since I was not at home when UPS tried to deliver it. I had to go to the center to pick it up this evening and encountered a problem...... they sent it in my dad's name and of course, UPS wants my ID in order for me to pick it up. Long story short I convinced them to give it to me...I was even prepared with my high school report cards which showed me as a "Ries" and had my dad listed on the bottom. So, it looks like I will actually be able to go back to work tomorrow night (thats after I get my drivers license and social security card tomorrow). Whew!

Help!.....

Addison has tested my patience at every turn lately. She is definitely the most mischevious of all my children. Ian was the angel child (arent all first-borns that way?)..... Evan was my quiet but injury prone little one.....Addison is just plain naughty, AND injury prone. Double whammy. She has decided she likes sliding down the railing of our basement stairs and found out today how badly it hurts to fall off and straddle the wooden casing along the bottom. She got hurt in a place that we wont talk about. She also went head first into the canned food isle shelving at Walmart, causing her cheek to turn purple and blue. I was sure she would have a black eye but looks like we might avoid that....thankfully. Tonight I was doing homework with Ian and I heard her making a choking/gagging noise and when I ran to her aid, I realized that she had eaten a packet of sugar free Kool-Aid....just the powder! It took her breath away and I thought she might throw up, which probably wouldnt have been a bad thing. Gross! Here is what you look like after "drinking" powder from a Kool-Aid packet! Her hands are completely stained too so I dont know how long it will take to fade from her face. No wonder it doesnt come out of carpet.

Put to Work....

We have put Ian to work officially....at his own request I might add. He did a pretty good job too considering the size of our backyard. Denver had to help him turn it but overall he handled it! Im sure Denver cant wait for the day that Ian can truly do it all by himself! What are sons for right?

Meanwhile, Addison smiled and cheered her brother on....literally. She kept screaming "Dee, Go! Woo Hoo! " She calls both of the boys "dee" and if they are both in the room she calls them "dee dee" collectively. Not sure where she came up with it but its cute. Evan enjoyed the evening with the neighbor friend, dancing and playing the willow branch "guitar". I love summer nights!

We had a CRAZY day today. It started this morning at 11:30 with swim lessons for Addie. They got out at noon and then I had to run her and Evan home to Denver (who came home early) and then back down to Ians school to pick him up at 12:30. I had to rush Ian over to the clinic to get his allergy shot because the allergy dept closes at 1:00 on Friday's. I had an eye appointment at 1:00 as well at the same clinic (different dept) so after the shot we ran downstairs for that. When that was over with we ran home to drop Ian off and pick up Addison who then had an appointment at 3:00 for her 2 year checkup. By the time I got home, I was ready for bed. Funny how its now 10pm and Im still up. I never learn I guess. Addison got a shot today too and was not happy about it. She is growing though and despite being 5 weeks premature, she is in the 97th percentile for her height and the 80th percentile for her weight.

I havent been back to work this week because I still havent received my birth certificate (another long story).....its very frustrating but I should have it by Tuesday, hopefully.

My friend Linda came for a surprise visit Wednesday. We dont see each other much because she lives in Provo and, like me, is busy being a mom. So, I was excited that she took the time to come and visit us. The kids loved playing with her boys and it was nice to just sit and talk for hours. I wish we lived closer to each other. We have been friends for a very long time....18 years or so! Wow. Just typing that made me feel really old. Here is a picture of her from way back when. I think this was taken in 1993..we were in Vegas, trying on funky clothing at a store in Caesars Palace. And another of her and her family (minus Gibson who was in her belly at the time!)

Well thats my update. Not too exciting but Im glad the week is over. Now Im off to read a few chapters in "Breaking Dawn"... yes Im hooked too.