Choices, choices

I have to say, I'm a little surprised by how many people voted for the Tri-Cities Marathon in the poll! My biggest fear with the TC's Marathon is that with so few people running, I won't have many runners around to motivate me to keep going at mile 15 or 20 when I want to stop and hitch a ride to the Shilo Inn finish line! I think I would also dread the 3+ hour drive back to Portland... But, it would be great to be able to find my family at the finish line, something that may be tough at the Portland Marathon.

I like the idea of driving or getting dropped off in downtown Portland (only 20 minutes from home) and feeling the buzz of a large crowd... no, a HUGE crowd! And, the Portland is MP3 friendly... apparently a big deal or something. I guess some marathons don't allow them... I would NOT handle 26.2 miles without music well. When I did the half in Sept. of 07', the iPod went kaput at about mile 2... it was a looong race after that!

However, if I REALLY had my way, the very first marathon I would complete would be this one:

The Walt Disney World Marathon

How cool would that be?? Combining one of my fun goals and one of my favorite places! The race goes through all 4 Disney World Parks, there are characters everywhere, and you get a Mickey Mouse medal when you finish... so cool!! The race is being held the weekend of January 7-10, 2010, which is the first weekend of my student teaching, so this one would be out... but, maybe someday! If I survive the first marathon I do... which is looking like the Portland Marathon on October 4th. Now, I just have to start training!

Personal Goals

As I mentioned before, I started a food journal as a way to stay accountable for what I have been eating. I've also been using the journal to keep track of other goals or ideas. I came up with the following list of goals the other night in my hotel room in Denver...

* Finish all homework by Monday night *
(I'm already going to default on this one this week, but I'm choosing to watch 24 with my husband instead... I'll start this goal next week!)

* Continue with the no soda drinking *
(This one has been WAY easier than I ever expected! I can't even explain all the benefits I've noticed as a result of eliminating soda and drinking mainly water.)

* Work out at least 5 times a week *
(This can be anything from a kick-butt cardio to a quick 20 minute strength training routine, just something to keep moving and get healthy!)

* Continue food journal *
(This is something else that I have been pleasantly surprised by, I've been taking it very seriously and really noticed a difference in how much less I snack.)

* Read one book for pleasure a month *
(I miss reading for pleasure so much, I used to read at least a book a week. I'm going to dedicate my travel time as "me" time when it comes to reading. I'm currently working on Twilight.)

* Spend more time alone with Rick (1-2 date nights a month) *
(We have been slacking on our date nights, something that is difficult when I'm out of town most weekends and in class one night a week. This will be a fun goal to fulfill!)

* More one-on-one time with the kids *
(Again, a fun goal to follow through with! Who wouldn't want to spend more one-on-one time with their kids and/or husband?!)

* Start a good devotional *
(I won't have to go very far for this one, I have some great devotionals on my bookshelf, it's just a matter of picking one and sticking with it.)

* Reduce my body fat percentage *
(Ugh... I'm realizing how I can weigh the same as I did before kids, but have a completely different body!)

* Run a marathon in October *
(Both Portland and the Tri-Cities hold their marathons in October, now I just have to decide if I want to run with a huge crowd (Portland) or a really small crowd (Tri-Cities). I have a feeling I know which one I will go with, but what do you think? Vote on the sidebar!)

Okay, now they are out there for all the world to see... well, at least all of you who read this blog.

Our ball of energy

Our nanny, Sarah, left a note last week with a cute "conversation" she had with Tyson:

Tyson: "I need talk you sompething. I need talk you Sarah. I need tissue. I not crying."
Then came back with the tissue and said: "I need give that back!"

I realize it may not sound spectacular, but then I remember that Tyson only turned 2 a couple of months ago... he amazes us everyday with how well he is able to communicate, this is just one example of the things he says. He cracks us up!

Also, do you think it's a bad sign that people are starting to describe Tyson as having lots of "energy"? I'm pretty sure it's just a polite way of saying, "You're kid is a wild child!" You should have seen the relief on the woman's face this morning when we came to pick him up from the church toddler room!

Here is our big guy running off some of his "energy"!

Looking like spring!

It's finally starting to look like spring in our neighborhood!

It won't be long before these pretty pink blossoms turn green all along our street.
And the hill in the background is finally getting it's green color back!

It also looks like our new lawn survived the winter!

** A new addition of The Flight Attendant Chronicles is coming soon.**
*As soon as I finish my homework!*

Diet Dr. Pepper

Somehow, in the last few years, I have become completely addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper. I was known to have several a day, neglecting what my body really needed: water! So, after some soul searching and serious concern over my post-baby waistline, I made the decision last week to give it up... in fact, give up all soda, cold turkey! What was I thinking?

Actually, I feel great! I love how much more water I have been drinking as a result of eliminating soda. Let's be clear, I still really like a little caffeine with my day, so Starbucks is still a treat I will allow myself to have every once in a while. But, I'm amazed at how much more energy I seem to have without all the caffeine and carbonation-goodness of my beloved DDP.

I've also began a food journal, in order to keep track of my eating habits and work on making better choices. It's crazy how much I re-think what I grab for, especially knowing I have to write down the food and look up the calories at the end of the day. And thanks to the beautiful weather we've been having here in the Northwest, we have been able to take family walks and I'm finding myself more motivated to get moving. I had a goal of getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight by the time Cooper is 6 months old, which is next Friday. Although I most likely won't make that exact goal, I will come pretty darn close. I'm 6 pounds away right now... if I were on the Biggest Loser campus with Bob and Jillian, then maybe I'd have a chance at losing 6 pounds in 10 days!

I just feel really good about the progress I have been making and the mental changes I have made in the last couple of weeks. And all I can say about the wedding photos below and the old dress I squeezed myself into is- thank goodness for SPANX!!

Oh, Diet Dr. Pepper, how I miss you so... actually, not really.

Okay, maybe a little.

Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez

This weekend, the Thames family added a new member to our family and we couldn't be more thrilled! Our niece, Jamie, was married to Aren Gonzalez in a beautiful ceremony on Saturday afternoon. Riley and Tyson, along with Aren's niece and nephew, were asked to be flower girl and ring bearer. They were so cute! Here is a complete overload of photos from the occasion...

The bride and groom, Aren and Jamie
Riley, getting help primping from Aunt Debbie and Cousin Melissa.
The finished product: One super-cute flower girl!
She was so excited to wear her pretty purple dress and twirl in it.
I was pretty grateful for the church nursery, it's where Tyson and I hung out for the wedding. After he made it down the aisle, we had to leave the church to avoid disrupting the ceremony. I was pretty bummed to have missed the entire thing!
A little pre-wedding time with the bride, Cousin Jamie.
We are getting a little better at the family photos... only took about 9 tries this time!
Two of the handsome men in my life.
Another Thames family: David, Debbie, Randy, and Melissa
I just love this photo... she looks so sweet!
Cooper in his pin-striped suit
As soon as we got to the reception, Riley crashed!
Being a flower girl is exhausting work, but she was not letting go of that basket!
Soon-to-be Cousin Sarah and Cooper
The candle lighters, cousins Emma and Melissa.
They were smart and changed into comfy shoes for the reception!
David spending his time at the reception texting... but, he did choose a pale purple shirt to coordinate with the wedding colors!
Father and daughter dancing, Rick's brother Tim and Jamie.
Aren and his new mother-in-law, Debbie, sharing a dance.
Cooper, cutting a rug at the reception.
Tyson was pretty upset to be strapped in the stroller for most of the reception. There were several doors to the outside that he kept making a run for, so this was the alternative...
One of the things I do best...
Michael and Sarah are getting married in December- aren't they cute!
Randy and Debbie, Rick's brother and sister-in-law.
Rick and Tim
Daddy and daughter dancing, doesn't she look excited?!
It takes our sweet girl some time to wake up!
Tyson was pretty thrilled to be dancing with Mommy, too.
Mommy and Cooper
Daddy and Tyson- bubbles!
All I wanted was a photo with my girl and she wanted NOTHING to do with it!
Riley and Cousin Michael
FINALLY... after the ceremony, reception, and 25 minutes of the 30 minute drive home, Tyson fell asleep, just in time to pull into the driveway!
Our handsome little ring bearer.

It was a great day! Thanks for sticking with it and looking at all the photos. I warned you it would excessive! I didn't want to leave anyone or anything out... although, this is only a fraction of the 160+ photos taken throughout the day!

Congratulations, Aren and Jamie!!

Bath time fun

The kids love baths. Tyson actually freaks out a little bit after the water all drains, I think he would live in the bathtub if he could. Lately they have been pretending to be water monsters, complete with "fee fi fo fum", feet stomping, and a big "ROAR". I got some cute video of it all a couple of days ago, but it ended up being not quite blog appropriate after some standing up to stomp. :)

I took these today in the bath instead...

This is Tyson in mid-ROAR!

Riley being her cute self.

Cooper waiting for his turn.

I love these faces!

Sunshine

It is suppose to be in the 70's this weekend and into early next week... I can't tell you how excited I am! I'm hoping to see much more of this...

And this...


Nothing like a couple of worn out kids after a great day of running around the backyard in sunny weather!

And I just love it when this little guy smiles at me.
He has the best little baby belly laugh/giggle!

Observant readers

I'm really impressed with how many of you mentioned Pottery Barn or Pottery Barn Kids when commenting on our playroom... you know your stuff! We did indeed get the wall unit, baskets, chalkboard labels, table and chairs, and rug from Pottery Barn Kids. The room gets more use than almost any other in the whole house, so we decided to get exactly what we wanted and what I have drooled over in the catalog for years! Organization is really important to Rick and I both, so this was a great way to keep the toys in order, while still keeping a main and very visible room in our house looking nice. When you walk in our front door the living room/dining room (playroom) are the first things you see off to the right. We just love the way it all turned out!

I'm also glad a few of you noticed Riley's hair in the first picture of the Easter post. As I wrote, that photo was taken on Saturday morning, while I was in the Tri-Cities. Rick braided Riley's hair all on his own! The week before, our nanny Sarah had braided Riley's hair while Rick was at work. That night, he looked it over, played around with it a bit, figured out how it worked, and now is a certified Hair Braider... it's like getting a new badge for our parenting sashes, like in scouts. I'm still working on my Wall Painting badge, Veggie at Every Dinner badge, and many others.

What a great daddy!

Okay, enough procrastinating... I'm off to write two papers for class tonight.

New Playroom

There is one room in our house that has changed identities 3 times in the last 4 1/2 years: our "dining room". We did use it as a dining room for the first year or so, but it became an office when our office turned into Riley's nursery. As Riley and Tyson grew, the "office" space transformed into our playroom. It's gone through many different phases as a playroom, but I think we've finally come up with our ideal set-up...

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

We are so thrilled with the way it all turned out! The table houses a paper roll and the kids LOVE to color constantly now. It also has drawers for their coloring books. All of the baskets have chalkboard labels to keep their toys organized and so far they have done pretty well with cleaning up one basket before getting down a new one. The large drawers below the baskets hold all of their bigger toys, the cubbies without baskets work well for books, and now they can watch their own television and movies. There are just a couple more things I would like to do to make the room complete, decorating the top of the unit with some family photos and creating an educational wall (the one opposite of the unit, to the right of the camera) with letter and number posters and a place for the kids' artwork. So, maybe they'll be before and after photos of that wall to come!

Look who's sitting up!

I still can't believe how quickly he is growing up.
Before we know it, he'll be crawling... yikes!

I love that when Cooper is happy, his whole face smiles... squinty eyes and all!

Happy Easter!

What a fun and busy Easter Sunday we had!

Rick took the kids to an Easter Egg Hunt in Gresham on Saturday while Cooper and I were in the Tri-Cities.

Checking out all the fun things the Easter Bunny brought!

Cooper's only interest in his Easter basket was gnawing on the handle.

After church, we had a little indoor egg hunt for the kids in the living room and play room. They got coins for their banks and some treats!

We also colored a few eggs!

We had Easter lunch over at Uncle Tim and Aunt Debbie's house. Here is Cooper getting ready to nap on Cousin Jamie's shoulder.

Tyson was having a blast on Cousin David's shoulders... that kid has SO much energy, he was wearing us all out!

Cooper hanging out with Cousin Melissa!

Blowing bubbles with Cousin Emma!

Typical... trying to get Tyson to sit for the photo. Riley's just sitting there all cute in her dress, while Cooper thinks it looks good enough to eat!

After about twenty attempts, finally a decent family photo! :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!